Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

Prostate cancer is the most common form of death from cancer in men over 75. Recent research suggests that exercising regularly may lower the risk of prostate cancer for Caucasian men.

The study included 164 white men and 143 African-American men with an average age of 64 who were undergoing prostate biopsy. 125 of the men were diagnosed with prostate cancer, 54 of whom had high-grade disease.

The participants filled out a survey that assessed the amount of exercise they perform regularly. No difference in the amount of exercise between the racial subgroups was found. The participants were classified as sedentary, mildly active, moderately active and highly active.

When the researchers compared exercise levels, they found that white men who were moderately to highly active were less likely to develop prostate cancer than those who were mildly active or sedentary. Additionally, the men who were diagnosed with prostate cancer and exercised regularly were significantly less likely have high-grade disease.

No difference in risk was found for African-American men.

The study was conducted by researchers at the Durham Veterans Medical Center in Durham, NC. It was published online ahead of print on February 11, 2013, in the journal Cancer.

Previous clinical studies suggest that even moderate exercise can help with blood sugar control, reduce body weight, improve heart health, improve respiratory health and reduce the risk of dying prematurely.

Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

A recent study suggests that protein supplements may increase muscle mass by an average of 1.5 lbs. and increase leg press strength by 30 lbs. in younger and older populations.

Younger participants also saw an increase of 45% in muscle fibers type I, which are suited for endurance and slow to fatigue. Additionally, they saw a 54% in muscle fibers type II, which are efficient for short bursts speed and power.

This analysis looked at 22 clinical trials with a total of 680 participants. All of the trials looked at the effect of protein supplementation during prolonged resistance-type exercise training. Most of the trials used whey or milk protein and the average protein dosage was 1.5 oz. daily.

The study was conducted by researchers at Maastricht University in the Netherlands and was published in the December 2012 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Whey protein is one of the two proteins found in milk, but it is only about 1% of the composition of milk. It is obtained as a byproduct of cheese production and can be purchased in powder form. Additionally, the liquid on top of yogurt is whey and it can also be found in ricotta cheese, which is one of the only cheeses that does not have the whey removed.

Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

Physical activity isn’t just good for your body; it can also be good for your brain. According to a recent study, exercising for 30 minutes three times a week could reduce the risk of cognitive impairment by up to 60%.

The study included 639 participants in their sixties and seventies. 64% self-reported engaging in physical activity three times a week for 30 minutes or more.

Over the course of three years, the researchers administered cognitive assessments and recorded physical activity. They also administered MRIs at the onset and the conclusion of the study, in order to examine loss of white brain matter.

At the conclusion of the study, 90 individuals had developed dementia and 147 developed cognitive impairment. The researchers found that the risk of vascular-related dementia (dementia caused by blood flow to the brain being cut off) was reduced by 40% in individuals who exercised. Overall dementia was reduced by 60%.

The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Lisbon in Portugal. It was published online ahead of print on November 1, 2012, in the journal Stroke.

Previous clinical studies suggest that even moderate exercise can reduce your risk of dying prematurely, help with blood sugar control, reduce body weight, improve heart health and improve respiratory health.

Even a brisk ten minute walk a day can help. Look for ways to incorporate exercise into your daily routine; you’d be surprised how many opportunities there are to get up and get moving.

Emma McGowan NatureCity author & contributor

If you thought exercising makes you hungrier, think again. A newly released study suggests that 45 minutes of exercise may reduce your desire for food. You’re also likely to eat the same amount as you would on a day when you didn’t exercise.

Participants in the study included 35 women—17 clinically obese and 18 of “normal” weight. They walked for 45 minutes on a treadmill and then were shown 120 pictures of food and 120 pictures of flowers while an EEG machine recorded their brain activity. The flowers were included to act as a control. The women viewed the same pictures a week later, but without exercising.

Participants recorded what they ate and how they exercised on both the exercise and non-exercise days.

The researchers noted that the women’s brains were less responsive to the pictures of food after exercising. They also engaged in more physical activity in general on the exercise day and they did not eat more on the exercise day to cover the extra calories burned.

There was no difference seen between the obese women and the normal weight women.

The study was conducted at Brigham Young University (BYU) and published online ahead of print in the October 2012 issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

It is well known that exercise is essential for good health and previous clinical studies suggest that even moderate exercise can reduce your risk of dying prematurely, help with blood sugar, reduce body weight, improve heart health and improve respiratory health.

Even a brink ten minute walk a day can help. Look for ways to incorporate exercise into your daily routine; you’d be surprised how many opportunities there are to get up and get moving.

Emma McGowan NatureCity author & contributor

A new study suggests that coconut water may an ideal natural sports drink for people who are following light to moderate exercise routines. An analysis of coconut water showed that it contains everything the body needs to replenish itself during moderate exercise.

The researchers compared coconut water with Gatorade and Powerade. They found that the coconut water had up to 1,500 mg/liter of potassium, while the sports drinks had only 300 mg/liter. Potassium helps the body get rid of cramps that result from exercise. Magnesium and carbohydrate quantities were very similar in all three drinks.

However, the coconut water had about 200 fewer milligrams per liter of sodium, measuring at 400 mg/liter while the sports drinks had 600 mg/liter. This difference led the researchers to qualify that coconut water might not be best for strenuous exercise that makes you sweat a lot. It’s important to replace sodium after a hard workout and coconut water doesn’t contain enough to accomplish that.

The researchers, led by Dr. Chhandashri Bhattacharya of Indiana University, presented their findings at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

Coconut water has become increasingly popular in recent years. It is very low in fat and sugar, and some studies have suggested it help with digestion and have anti-viral properties. You can find it in your local health food store or in the health food section of the grocery store.

Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

Suffering a stroke can result in loss of mobility and balance that can last long after the stroke. A recent study suggests that performing yoga on a regular basis may help improve balance and general quality of life for chronic stroke survivors, even after they’ve stopped rehabilitative care.

Two-thirds of the participants in the study participated in yoga while one-third did not participate in any yoga rehabilitation. At the conclusion of the study, the researchers noted improved balance in the yoga groups but not the non-yoga group. They also noted improved scores in independence and quality of life measures.

In total, forty-seven individuals, three-quarters of whom were male, participated in the study. All had suffered from a stroke in the past 6 months and were able to stand on their own at the beginning of the study.

Over the course of 8 weeks, they participated in one of three interventions:

1. Yoga twice weekly

2. Yoga-Plus – yoga twice weekly and a relaxation tape to be used three times a week

3. No yoga rehabilitation

Despite the positive results seen here, the researchers were quick to note that more research with a larger and more diverse participant group needs to be conducted in order to definitively determine the effect of yoga on stroke rehabilitation.

The researchers were based at the Roudebush Veterans Administration-Medical Center and Indiana University. Their results were published online ahead of print on July 26, 2012, in the journal Stroke.

Practicing yoga has also been linked to better quality of life for patients with fibromyalgia, a long term disease that results in pain all over a person’s body. Yoga not only strengthens the body, it also relaxes the mind and may help reduce anxiety.

Emma McGowan NatureCity author & contributor

Working out stresses your muscles and can potentially do damage if you’re not careful to take care of your body post-workout. A new, as yet unpublished study presented at Experimental Biology May 3, 2012 suggests that consuming a supplement consisting of a protein blend could provide your muscles with much needed amino acids, thereby protecting them from damage.

The University of Texas based researchers recruited 20 young adults for their double-blind, randomized clinical trial. The participants consumed either a 17.5g whey supplement or 20g of the trial supplement one hour after they completed high-intensity leg resistance exercise. The trial supplement consisted of 25% isolated soy protein, 25% whey protein and 50% casein.

Muscle biopsies were conducted before the supplements were administered and then again at two different times: “early,” which was defined as 1-3 hours after exercise, and “late,” which was defined as 3-5 hours after exercise.

The researchers noted that the supplement blend provided amino acid delivery to the participants’ muscles up to 5 hours after ingestion, meaning that the supplement blend better protects your muscles from damage than whey protein alone.

These effects are probably a result of the different rates of digestion for the different types of protein. Whey is processed by the body quickly, providing immediate nutrition, while soy is processed a bit later. Casein takes the longest to work its way through the digestive system.

It takes at least 24-48 hours for muscles to recover after resistance training. Therefore when a person consumed the trial supplement post-workout, their muscles received important nutrients over an extended period of time to feed their muscles until their next meal.

75% of the proteins used in this trial were dairy-based, adding yet more evidence to the claim that dairy proteins are essential for muscle health. Dairy products have also been linked with bone health, diabetes prevention, weight loss, and improved mental function.

If you’re looking to add more dairy to your diet, make sure you stick to the low-fat dairy products as the high fat content of “whole milk” products could reduce the positive benefits.

Scott Greenberg, NatureCity author & contributor

As the body ages, it loses muscle function and force. Fish oil supplementation may improve muscle function in post-menopausal women according to a study from researchers at the Parana Federal University in Brazil.

The study is published in the February 2012 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Study participants included 45 women with an average age of 64. All of the women participated in the same 90 day strength training program, but received different levels of omega-3 intervention.

• 15 women consumed 2 grams of fish oil daily during the strength training

• 15 women consumed 2 grams of fish oil for 60 days before the start of the strength training and then continued during the training

• 15 women consumed a placebo.

Each fish oil supplement contained 0.4 grams of EPA and 0.3 grams of DHA.

The researchers observed that strength training improved muscle torque and the rate of torque development for all groups, but the effects were more noticeable in the omega-3 groups. The omega-3 groups also showed improved performance in the chair-raising exercise, which involves rising from a straight chair without using your hands.

Because omega-3 fatty-acids are not found naturally in the human body, it is especially important to make sure that they are a part of your daily diet. DHA and EPA—the omega-3 fatty-acids used in this study—can be found in dark, oily fish such as tuna or salmon.

If you think you’re not getting enough omega-3 fatty-acids through diet alone, consider adding a high quality supplement to your routine. Make sure your supplement has been tested for purity and potency in order to avoid harmful mercury levels and to get the most out of your daily intake.

Scott Greenberg, NatureCity author & contributor

A recent study from researchers at the Queen Mary University in London shows that certain lifestyle choices can have a serious effect on your risk of developing cancer. In fact, the researchers believe that over 40 percent of cancers could be avoided by making different lifestyle choices.

The results were published in the British Journal of Cancer on December 6, 2011.

The researchers found 14 environmental and lifestyle cancer causes. A third of those 14 were related to smoking, alcohol, diet and obesity. Smoking was the number one cause of cancer,responsible for 23 percent of cancers in men and 15.6 percent of cancers in women. The second leading cause for men was a lack of fruit and vegetable consumption, but for women it was obesity.

Other dietary factors included lack of fiber, too much salt, and eating too much red and processed meat. Additional causes of cancer included radiation exposure, lack of exercise, occupational exposure to chemicals, excessive sunlight exposure and specific infections. Specifically for women, both hormone replacement therapy and choosing not to breastfeed were found to be causative factors.

The study is yet another contribution to the body of knowledge showing that it’s a good idea to follow a healthy lifestyle. While there are certainly no guarantees, this study shows that long term lifestyle changes can lower your cancer risk.

Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

With 1.6 million Americans diagnosed per year, diabetes is reaching epidemic proportions. A recent study from McMaster University in Canada shows that brief, high intensity workouts may help lower blood sugar levels for type 2 diabetics, even if it won’t help with weight loss.

The findings were published in the December 2011 issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology.

The participant group was small, including 8 diabetic patients. The researchers gave a baseline exam at the onset of the study to record blood sugar levels over one 24 hour period. They also assessed fitness levels and took biopsies of thigh muscle to measure proteins.

Participants then participated in a daily brief, high intensity workout on a stationary bike. The 25 minute workout consisted of a warm up at the start of the exercise, a cool down at the end, and one minute rest between ten high intensity 60 second sessions. This routine was followed for one week.

The researchers noted lower 24-hour blood sugar, reduced blood sugar spikes after the participants ate, and increased skeletal muscle mitochondrial capacity, which is a marker of metabolic health.

While the researchers wanted it to be clear that this was a small, preliminary study and therefore more research is needed to determine the exact effect of brief exercise on diabetics, they also pointed out that this could be a good step toward getting people to exercise. Many people have trouble finding the time to exercise, making studies like this important because it shows that even a little exercise can have a serious effect.