114SCIENCE BASED REASONS WHY I EXERCISE
Richard Montgomery Ph.D.
Kinesiology Department – San Jose State University
●A ground-breaking article from The Netherlands showsthat lack of exercise is probably the most common cause of celldamage in diabetics today (Medicine and Science in Sports andExercise. April, 2013).
●Researchers at the London School of Economics, Harvard and Stanford analyzed data from 305 trials involving 339,274 people. They found that exercise is at least as effective as drugs in preventing diabetes, and second heart attacks, and is more effective in preventing death from strokes (British Medical Journal, published online October 2013). Drug treatments in these studies included statins and beta blockers to prevent heart attacks, and anticlotting and antiplatelet drugs to prevent strokes.
●A study led by Dr. Dean Ornish followed 35 men with low-risk prostate cancer for five years. Ten of the men were given a special lifestyle plan with weekly instructions for several months, while 25 were informed of the lifestyle changes but not put in special discussion groups or lectures. The lifestyle-change group increased their telomere length by an average of 10 percent, while the control group had telomere shrinkage of three percent (The Lancet Oncology, published online September 17, 2013).Telomere Length Predicts How Long a Cell Will Live.
The program followed by the lifestyle-change group included:
* A low-fat, low-refined carbohydrate diet, with unprocessed, plant-based whole foods;
* Walking for thirty minutes six days a week;
* Managing stress with yoga, meditation, stretching, breathing and relaxation;
* Attending a support group for one hour each week.
●As you age, expect your muscles to become smaller and weaker. Because of this, you lose strength and mobility. You walk slower, tire earlier, lose coordination and are at increased risk for falling, breaking bones, and injuring yourself. Lack of exercise is the main reason for the progressive weakness of aging (Exerc Sport Sci Rev, July, 2013;41(3):169-173). The most effective way to maintain muscle strength as you age is to exercise against resistance.
●A review article from The Netherlands shows that:
* All men and women lose muscle as they age;
* All men and women make new protein in their muscles in response to
exercising and eating protein;
* Older people cannot grow muscle as much or as rapidly as younger people do
in response to exercising and eating protein;
* The only known way to prevent loss of muscle with aging is to exercise
against progressive resistance; and
* Muscle growth in aging is enhanced markedly by taking protein and
carbohydrates immediately after heavy exercise (Ex and Spts Sciences
Reviews, July 2013;41(1):169-173).
●A new study shows that forty minutes of intense exercise, three times a week for 10 weeks:increased VO2max,lowered blood pressure,lowered blood sugar levels,reduced body fat, and lowered total cholesterol, the bad low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and the oxidized LDL cholesterol that forms plaques in arteries. (PLOS One, June 4, 2013).VO2max measures the maximal ability to take in and use oxygen. It is a measure of fitness level that also predicts how long a person is likely to live (Med Sci Sports Exerc1999;31: S646–662).
●Exercise is at least as beneficial as statins in preventing heart attacks. Statins reduce heart attack risk by 10 to 20 percent for every drop of 40 mg/dL in LDL levels. Regular exercise can reduce your chances of dying from a heart attack by as much as 50 percent. (The Journal of the American College of Cardiology, published online May 22, 2013).
●The Copenhagen Male Study followed the health of 3000 men for 16 years and found that the higher the resting heart rate, the more likely that person is to die (Heart, Apr 17, 2013). Compared to a resting heart rate of 50 beats per minute, a resting heart rate of 71 to 80 beats/min was associated with a 50 percent increased risk of death,81 to 90 beats/min was associated with a 100 percent increased risk, and over 90 beats/min was associated with a 150 percent increased risk. Exercise lowers heart rate and helps to prevent death from a heart attack (Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study,Circulation, Dec. 5, 2011;124: 2483-2490).
●Among a group of 164 white men having prostate biopsies to look for cancer, those who exercised regularly were lesslikely to have prostate cancer and less likely to have the high-grade type of prostate cancer that can kill (Cancer, publishedonline Feb 11, 2013).
●After age 35,the more you exercise, the lower your fasting blood sugar levels,
and the more protected you are from the side effects of high bloodsugar levels, including dementia, heart attacks and certaincancers (Ann Epidemiology, July 13, 2012).
●High intensity training (strength or aerobic) in the morning appears to not only increase metabolism, fat loss and overall health, but decreases interest in food (Science Daily, Sept. 12, 2012).
●Sudden cardiac death amongmarathoners is very rare, with one event per 100,000participants. This is due to these benefits of exercise:
* Increases the good HDL cholesterol
* lowers triglycerides
* treats obesity
* lowers high blood pressure
* Improves insulin sensitivity
* lowers blood sugar
* strengthens arteries
* helps with smoking cessation
* reduces psychological stress
* lowers hematocrit and blood viscosity
* expands blood volume
* prevents clotting
* increases blood flow to the heart
* increases collateral circulation to the heart
* increases tolerance of decreased blood flow to the heart
* reduces atherosclerosis
* enlarges arteries leading to the heart
* reduces major sickness and death
(Med Sci SportsExerc. 2012;44(6):990-994; N Engl J Med. 2012;366(2):130-140).
●Brisk walking halved a person's chances of sufferingmetabolic syndrome over a 10-year period, while leisurelywalking up to an hour a day did not prevent metabolic syndrome(British Medical Journal, October 8, 2012).
●Men who exercised regularly stopped exercising for justone week. Both those who were lean and those who were overweighthad rises in blood factors that are abnormal in diabetics(Metabolism-Clinical and Experimental, September 20, 2012).
●A study from the Mayo Clinic shows that slow walking aftereating markedly reduces the rise in blood sugar levels after meals(Diabetes Care, published online Aug 8, 2012). A study from Japanshows that mild exercise after meals prevents the usual high risein blood triglycerides after meals (Medicine and Science in Sportsand Exercise, August 2012). Thus exercising after eating helps toprotect your body from damage from high blood sugar levels.
●According to Lancet, due to “the prevalence, global reach, and health effect of physical inactivity, the issue should be appropriately described as pandemic, with far reaching health, economic, environmental, and social consequences.” Both the United Nations and the World Health organization include physical inactivity as among the top four global health risks. (Lancet, 2012).
●Virtually all studies on the subject show that reducingcalories can prolong the lives of yeast, insects and animals.However a recent study shows that restricting calories in fruitflies and preventing them from exercising does not prolong theirlives (Cell Metabolism, July 3, 2012).
●Intense exercise lowers high blood pressure(Journal of Sports Sciences, June 2012).
●Those whoexercised at least one hour per week had a 33 percent lower risk
of death during that period. Thosewho exercised intensely had even greater protection. (American Journal of Public Health, April, 2012;102(4):698-704).
●Spectacular news for the 14 million Americans living today with a diagnosis ofcancer: two impressive medical studies show that exercise helps to prevent recurrence of cancer. The first study of 45 peer-reviewed articles published
from January 1950 to August 2011 shows that exercisers are less likely to die of their cancers than non-exercisers. Also, 27 observational studies strongly showed that exercise is associated with reduced death from breast and colon cancers specifically (J Natl Cancer Inst, published online May 8, 2012). Those who exercised were also less likely to die from other diseases such as heart attacks.
●Cancer survivors who exercised had far more energy, were far more active, and were less tired than survivors who did not exercise. Exercising gave them more energy (PLoS One, published online May 2, 2012).
●85 percent of North American women over 50 years of age suffer from either low bone mineral density or osteoporosis (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bone Health and Osteoporosis: A Report of the Surgeon General, 2004). The most effective way to prevent loss of bone with aging is to lift heavy weights. (Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, March 2012; 26(3):867-872).
●Exercise helps to prolong life and prevent disease:Exercising, before, during or immediately after eating helps to prevent high rises in blood sugar and fat levels. High-intensity exercise is far more effective than less-intenseexercise in preventing high rises in blood fat levels after ahigh-fat meal (Clinical Science, March 2012).
●There is overwhelming evidence that exercise helps to protect against colon cancer. A study from Australia shows that vigorous, not moderate, exercise reduces colon and rectal cancer risk (Cancer Causes Control, December 2011; 22(12):1647-58).
●People who exercise regularly are far less likely to suffer dementia and had less than half the risk of death during the 17-year study period, compared to those who do not exercise (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, February, 2012).
●Many of the benefits that exercise provides to muscles are also provided
to your brain (The Journal of Physiology, February, 2012;590 (Pt3):607-16).
●Being over-fat damages every tissue in your body, including your brain (e-zine, February 26, 2012).
●Men who were physically fit in their 40s and continued to exercise regularly ten years later are 30 percent less likely to die and 44 percent less likely to die from heart attacks than men who do not exercise (Circulation, December 2, 2011;124:2483-2490).
●A review of 35 studies shows that continuous aerobic exercise is far more effective that lifting weights in reducing belly fat (Obesity Reviews. January, 2012; 13 (1):68-91).
●People whose heart rates increased from under 70 beats per minute to more than 85 beats per minute over 10 years had a 90 percent increased chance of dying from heart disease, compared to people whose heart rates stayed under 70 beats per minute (Journal of the American Medical Association, December 21, 2011). Exercise lowers and maintains resting heart rate.
●A longitudinal study of 207 85-year old Japanese men and women showed that being strong and active in later life helps you live longer. For each increase of one kilogram in hand grip strength, a person had a 6 percent lower chance of dying and for each increase of one kilogram of leg extension force, a person had a 2 percent lower chance of dying. (Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, January, 2012; 54(1):28-33).
●Competitive masters athletes, 40 to 81 years of age, who trained four to five times per week did not lose any muscle size or significant strength with aging. This shows that loss of muscle size and strength in older people is caused by lack of exercise, not just with aging. (The Physician and Sportsmedicine, October, 2011; 39(3):172-8).
●A review of 10 studies shows that the higher the level of competitive sports, the greater the bone density of female collegiate athletes (J Am Board Fam Med, November, 2011;24:728-34).
●Adolescent male athletes have much denser bones than non-athletes (J Strength Cond Res, November 11, 2011).
●Men and women who participate in high-impact sports at the ages when bones grow the most (10 to 30 years) gain the most bone, according to a review of the scientific literature reported in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (September, 2011;3(9):861-7).
●Intense, vigorous exercise prevents colon cancer in the last part of the colon, (Cancer Causes and Control, 10/08/2011).
●Exercise increases the size and number of mitochondria in the brains of mice (American Journal of Physiology, September 2011).
●Exercise can prevent a rise in blood pressure from salt, (presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, March 2011).
●Rats that had greater endurance, as shown by their genetic ability to run longer on a treadmill, lived 24 to 48 percent longer than those who have less endurance on a treadmill, (Circulation Research, Epub September 2011).
●"JUST ONE DAY OF EXERCISE CAN PROTECT THE HEART AGAINST...(A HEART ATTACK).... and this protection is upheld with months of exercise, making exercise one of the few sustainable preconditioning stimuli" (Journal of Applied Physiology, September 2011). WOW!
●Middle-aged people are 63 percent less likely to die within 18 years if they avoid smoking, eat a low-fat and low-sugar diet, exercise regularly, and drink alcohol moderately (American Journal of Public Health, published online August 18, 2011).
●Reducing your physical activity by just 50 percent for just three days, without changing your diet, doubles the rise in blood sugar levels after meals (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, June 2011).
●People who suffer from arthritis need to exercise regularly because lack of exercise damages joints (Arthritis Care & Research, January 2011). Even people with severe joint disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis, need to exercise (Journal of Aging Research: Aging, Physical Activity and Disease Prevention, 2011).
●Tour de France Cyclists live 17 percent longer than people who do not participate in strenuous exercise (International Journal of Sports Medicine, August 2011). This supports other studies that show that endurance exercisers live more than 12 years longer than those who do not exercise (British Journal of Sports Medicine, March 2008).
●Researchers at the University of Massachusetts show that, after just one day of not exercising, your body loses some of its ability to respond to insulin (Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental, July 2011).
●Exercising helps to prevent loss of mitochondria and even makes them larger (Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, April, 2007).
●Physical inactivity increases an American’s chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease by 21 percent, (San Francisco VA Medical Center study, 2011). Currently, an estimated 5.3 million are affected with the disease and by 2050 it is expected to triple, (Lancet Neurology, 2010).
●Hundreds of articles show that exercise promotes every marker for longevity. It enlarges telomeres, increases size and number of mitochondria and helps to prevents disease. It prevents a high rise in blood sugar, lowers triglycerides and empties fat from both fat and muscle cells (e-zone, May 29, 2011).
●Unlike resting muscles, contracting muscles do not require insulin to move sugar inside their cells (Journal of Applied Physiology, July 2005).
●Contracting muscles remove sugar maximally from the bloodstream, without needing insulin, during & up to one hour after exercise. The effect tapers off to zero at about 17 hours (Journal of Applied Physiology, February 2010).
●People who do not exercise, or exercise only occasionally, have a higher risk of suffering a heart attack during exercise or making love (JAMA, March 23/30, 2011).
●Exercise may produce new, positive addiction pathways in the brain that could counter negative addictive behaviors. (Current Neuropharmacology), March 2011.
●Exercise may be beneficial for stress and depression due to its effect on neurotransmitter synthesis. (Neuro Endrocinology Letters), 2010.
●Exercise prevents aging in mice programmed to grow old rapidly (The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, September 22, 2010). The exercising mice did not have the expected shrinkage with aging of their brains, hearts, muscles, skin, hair, ovaries, testicles, spleen, kidneys, and liver.
●Being even a little bit overweight shortens your life and the heavier you are the more likely you are to die of cancer and heart attacks (New England Journal of Medicine, December 2, 2010).
●"Fasted training is more potent than fed training to facilitate adaptations in muscles and to improve whole-body glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity" (Journal of Physiology, November 2010).
●Diabetes is controlled better by a combined program of lifting weights and walking on a treadmill than if people just lift weights or just walk (Journal of the American Medical Association, November 24, 2010).
●Lifting weights before puberty makes children stronger and has not been shown to stunt growth or damage the growth plates in their bones (Pediatrics, November 2010).
●Taking sugar when you exercise is good for you (e-zone, October 3, 2010).
●Exercise prolongs life and prevents heart attacks and cancers by causing the body to dispose of free radicals with increased production of antioxidants (e-zone, September 19, 2010).
●Longevity is determined a maximum of one-third by genetics and more than two-thirds by environmental factors (Swedish Twin Study, December 1998).
●The more intensely an individual exercises, the better his/her body responds to insulin. Even those who do not improve their exercise capacity are able to markedly improve their body's ability to respond to insulin (European Journal of Internal Medicine, October 2010).
●During a six-day bicycle race, the bones of world class bicycle racers become stronger (Physiologie Appliquée, Nutrition et Métabolisme, June 2010).
●Exercise prevents loss of the connections between nerves and the muscles that they innervate caused by aging (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, published online August 29, 2010).
●You do not have to lift very heavy weights to grow large muscles (PLoS ONE. August 10, 2010).
●Men who spent more than 23 hours a week watching TV and sitting in their cars had a 64 percent greater chance of dying from heart attacks than those who sat for fewer than 12 hours a week (Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, May 2010).
●Exercising vigorously before going to bed does cause your body to produce large amounts of its own stimulants, adrenalin and noradrenalin that make your heart beat rapidly and raise body temperature, but this does not usually prevent you from falling asleep (Clinics in Sports Medicine, April 2005).