The prevalence of youth overweight has risen dramatically over the past three decades in the US and now represents an epidemic. Since 1970, the fraction of children that are overweight has nearly quadrupled among 6 to 11 year olds and more than doubled among 12 to 19 year olds. Currently, one in six children aged… Read More
Exercise & Type 2 Diabetes
Research Paper Title Exercise and Type 2 Diabetes: The American College of Sports Medicine and the American Diabetes Association: Joint Position Statement. Abstract Although physical activity (PA) is a key element in the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes, many with this chronic disease do not become or remain regularly active. High-quality studies establishing the… Read More
The Determinants of Mortality
An extract from a paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER): Robert Lucas once famously said regarding the determinants of economic growth, “once one starts to think about them, it is hard to think of anything else.” The same could be said for the determinants of mortality, since the length of life is… Read More
Mortality Risk: Initial Level of Fitness & Statin Use
Veterans of the US Armed Forces must be the most studied group of warriors in the world. A recent study looked at 10,202 male veterans (mean age 60 years) who were on treatment for high blood pressure, and followed them up for 10 years to study their mortality risk according to initial levels of fitness… Read More
Salt & Drugs: Don’t Just be Wary of Food Content!
Research Paper Title Association between Cardiovascular Events and Sodium-containing Effervescent, Dispersible, and Soluble Drugs: Nested Case-control Study. Study Question Do patients taking sodium-containing formulations of prescription drugs have a higher incidence of cardiovascular events than patients taking those same drugs in formulation that do not contain sodium? Summary Answer Patients prescribed sodium-containing effervescent, dispersible, and… Read More
Is There a Link between Dietary Fibre Intake & Risk of CV Disease?
Research Paper Title Dietary Fibre Intake & Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Study Question Is greater intake of dietary fibre related to lower risk of cardiovascular or coronary heart disease, using a dose-response relationship? Summary Answer For each increase of 7g/day intake of fibre, separate risk for cardiovascular disease and coronary heart… Read More
What’s Been Happening to Children’s Resting Pulse Rates Since 1980?
I think we can safely state that adults, across the centuries, have worried that the children of the next generation will be soft and unfit for the rigours of life. The latest explanation of this Spartan anxiety comes in a study of resting pulse rates in 9-11 year old children in the UK between 1980… Read More
Boot Camp & Military Fitness Institute 