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FITTNews March 2010 - CLM Health & Fitness

FITTNews February 2010 - CLM Health & Fitness

FITTNews March 2010

Physical activity assists multiple sclerosis patients

A study conducted by researchers at Ohio State University has found that the brains of people with multiple sclerosis may be protected by exercise.

The researchers studied 21 women with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), assessing fitness, cognitive function and brain structural changes.

Those women who were classified as ‘highly fit’ achieved notably better results in cognitive function tests than their less fit study counterparts. These findings were also backed up by MRI scans which showed a link between higher levels of fitness and less damage in parts of the brain where MS-related deterioration occurs, and higher volume of grey matter, which is associated with critical brain processing skills.

Study lead author and assistant professor of psychology at Ohio State University, Ruchika Shaurya Prakash, said, ‘We found that aerobic fitness has a protective effect on parts of the brain that are most affected by multiple sclerosis. As a result, these fitter patients actually show better performance on tasks that measure processing speed’.

‘Our hypothesis is that aerobic exercise enhances these nerve growth factors in MS patients, which increases the volume of the gray matter and increases the integrity of the white matter. As a result, there is an improvement in cognitive function. For a long time, MS patients were told not to exercise because there was a fear it could exacerbate their symptoms. But we're finding that if MS patients exercise in a controlled setting, it can actually help them with their cognitive function’ Prakash added.

Study highlights benefits of resistance training for adolescents

A study from the University of Newcastle has shown that adolescents can benefit from resistance training programs. Dr David Lubans from the Faculty of Education and Arts and Associate Professor Robin Callister from the Faculty of Health, have evaluated the impact of a program involving free weights and an elastic tubing resistance training tool, the Gymstick.

The two-month study of more than 100 Year 9 and 10 students in Newcastle is the first to measure the effects of elastic tubing resistance training in adolescents. ‘Our findings have important implications for the promotion of muscular fitness in this age group’ Lubans said; ‘Increasing physical activity levels in children and adolescents has emerged as a global health priority’.

‘In Australia, approximately 25 per cent of youth are overweight or obese and approximately 30 per cent do not meet the national physical activity recommendations¹. Historically, resistance training has not been recommended for children and adolescents due to the perceived threat of injury and the belief it could stunt linear growth. The results from this study actually show the feasibility and benefits of resistance training for adolescents’.

The students used either free weights or the elastic tubing resistance training tool twice a week for eight weeks and improved their body composition and muscular strength. Boys improved both upper and lower body strength, while girls achieved significantly larger improvements in lower body strength.

Dr Lubans’ research has been published in the journal Preventive Medicine. Dr Lubans’ and Associate Professor Callister’s research is conducted in collaboration with the Hunter Medical Research Institute’s (HMRI) Cardiovascular Research Program.

¹Department of Health and Ageing. 2007 Australian National Children's Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey - Main Findings.

‘Moderate’ interval training still effective

Recent research has furthered the case for interval training as being one of the most effective ways of helping to reduce the incidence of diseases such as type 2 diabetes.

The study findings even suggest that the intensity and duration of interval training sessions needn’t be as daunting as many people may think.

Martin Gibala, professor and chair of the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster University said, ‘What we've been able to show is that interval training does not have to be 'all out' in order to be effective and time-efficient. While still a very demanding form of training, the exercise might be more achievable by the general public – not just elite athletes – and it certainly doesn't require the use of specialised laboratory equipment’.

Following on from a study conducted by the same group five years previously, the new study involved participants undertaking 20 to 25-minute exercise sessions, comprising eight to 12 one-minute bursts of exercise on an indoor cycle at a lower intensity, with 75-second rest intervals. Most of the participants found the workload (95 per cent of maximal heart rate) challenging, though it was actually only about half of what is achievable by sprinting.

Study subjects performed six training sessions over a 14-day period, after which they exhibited the same benefits as participants in a previous long-duration endurance training study, namely muscular adaptations linked to reduced risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, and improved exercise performance.

Commenting on the findings, Gibala said; ‘That is the trade-off for the relatively lower intensity. There is no free lunch; duration must increase as intensity decreases’.

To relax, have a massage – or do nothing

A recent trial has found that in order to achieve a heightened sense of general relaxation, receiving a series of massages was effective – but only as effective as sitting alone listening to soohting music.

Three months after undergoing a series of 10 massage sessions, patients exhibited half the symptoms of anxiety – a result equivalent to that previously attributed to medication or psychotherapy.

‘We were surprised to find that the benefits of massage were no greater than those of the same number of sessions of 'thermotherapy' or listening to relaxing music. This suggests that the benefits of massage may be due to a generalised relaxation response’ said Karen Sherman, PhD, a senior investigator at Group Health Research Institute.

Massage therapy is a popular treatment for anxiety, but this trial was the first to assess the effectiveness of massage in patients with ‘generalised anxiety disorder’.

Sixty-eight patients were assigned to one of three treatment groups for the trial. The first group received massage; the second group received relaxation therapy (laying down breathing deeply); and the third group received thermotherapy (arms and legs intermittently wrapped with warm towels and heating pads). Both of the non-massage groups were control treatments; unlike the massage, they were designed not to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system.

Immediately after the 12-week treatment period, all three groups reported a reduction in anxiety of approximately 40 per cent. Three months after the end of the trial, this had increased to 50 per cent.

Commenting on the study findings, Sherman said, ‘Treatment in a relaxing room is much less expensive than the other treatments (massage or thermotherapy), so it might be the most cost-effective option for people with generalised anxiety disorder who want to try a relaxation-oriented complementary medicine therapy’.

Exercise the stress away

The increased levels of anxiety often evident in people with illnesses could be reduced by exercising regularly.

The stress that accompanies illness can have the effect of making people stop following their treatment plans, thereby causing them to deteriorate further.

A new study by researchers at the University of Georgia analysed the results of 40 previous randomised clinical trials which collectively contained data gathered from nearly 3,000 patients with assorted medical conditions (including multiple sclerosis, chronic pain from arthritis, heart conditions and cancer). Individuals who exercised regularly reported an average 20 per cent lower level of anxiety symptoms than non-exercisers.

Lead author Matthew Herring, a doctoral student in the department of kinesiology, said, ‘Our findings add to the growing body of evidence that physical activities such as walking or weight lifting may turn out to be the best medicine that physicians can prescribe to help their patients feel less anxious’.

Although the usefulness of exercise in alleviating symptoms of depression has been studied previously, its effect on anxiety symptoms has had less focus on it.

Study co-author Pat O'Connor, professor and co-director of the UGA Exercise Psychology Laboratory, said, ‘We found that exercise seems to work with just about everybody under most situations. Exercise even helps people who are not very anxious to begin with become more calm’.

Low-fat diet not a cholesterol smasher

Although they have confirmed, unsurprisingly, that low-fat diets are not bad for the heart, recently released trial results have also shown that such an eating regime may not have any significant effect on cholesterol levels.

Data was collected from the US Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), which provided a number of women across the US with intensive training and education on eating low-fat diets. Various health indicators were then compared with women whose dietary habits remained unchanged.

Low-fat diets didn’t lower ‘bad’ cholesterol, but they didn’t lower ‘good’ cholesterol (HDLs) either. Study author Barbara Howard, a professor of medicine at Georgetown University, said ‘This diet did not raise triglycerides and didn't lower HDL cholesterol. It didn't do any of the adverse things that high-fat people have claimed’.

Howard did note, however, that the women who decreased their intake of trans fatty acids and saturated fats did have a lower rate of heart disease. She also alluded to the increased ease of losing weight apparently brought about through consuming a low-fat diet.

‘If you start out eating too many calories and you cut fat, that automatically makes you eat a higher-carbohydrate diet. If a person wants to reduce weight and is comfortable with cutting fat, that is a good strategy’ Howard said; ‘The main message here is that if you want to lose weight and cut fat to do it, you do not have adverse effects. …in my opinion, if you have to cut calories to lose weight, it is easier to cut fat because fat is denser’.

Soluble fibre boosts immune system

A recent study from the US claims that soluble fibre strengthens the immune system and reduces inflammation linked to obesity-related diseases.

Gregory Freund, a professor in the University of Illinois’ College of Medicine, said, ‘Soluble fibre changes the personality of immune cells -- they go from being pro-inflammatory, angry cells to anti-inflammatory, healing cells that help us recover faster from infection’.

This change occurs because soluble fibre (found in apples, oats and nuts among other foods) increases the production of interleukin-4, an anti-inflammatory protein.

The study comprised a six-week experiment in which laboratory mice were fed low-fat diets which differed only in their content of either soluble or insoluble fibre. At the end of the six weeks, the mice had significantly differing responses when the researchers introduced lipopolysaccharide, a substance that mimics a bacterial infection in the body.

Study researcher Christina Sherry, who also worked on the study, said; ‘Two hours after lipopolysaccharide injection, the mice fed soluble fibre were only half as sick as the other group, and they recovered 50 per cent sooner. And the differences between the groups continued to be pronounced all the way out to 24 hours. In only six weeks, these animals had profound, positive changes in their immune systems’.

‘Runner’s knee’ caused by weak muscles

Recent research has suggested that the condition known as ‘runner’s knee’ may be caused by weak muscles.

Study co-author Darin Padua, associate professor of exercise and sport science at the University of North Carolina, said the results of the study indicated that individuals who develop the condition tend to have weaker quadriceps and hamstrings; ‘As a result, they don't bend their knees as much when doing tasks, such as running or jumping. That means the contact area between the kneecap and the femur is smaller, so pressure is focused and pinpointed on a smaller area’.

This results in patellofemoral pain syndrome, also often called ‘runner's knee’, which affects approximately 25 per cent of physically active people. Runner's knee can lead to osteoarthritis.

The study involved 1,600 US Naval midshipmen. Forty of these study subjects (24 women and 16 men) developed runner's knee over a period of several years. The researchers noted that those with weaker hamstring and quadriceps muscles, flattening of the arches in the foot (navicular drop) and less flexible knees had much higher likelihood of developing the condition.