PROTIME-FITNESS HOLISTIC HEALTH AND WELLNESS

  POOR SLEEP DIMINSHES COGNITIVE BENEFITS OF EXERCISING Regular physical activity may protect against cognitive decline as we age. Still, according to a new study by UCL researchers, this protective effect may be diminished for people needing more sleep. The study, published in  The Lancet Healthy Longevity , looked at cognitive function over 10 years in England, 8,958 people aged 50 and over. The research team investigated how different combinations of sleep and physical activity habits might affect people's cognitive function over time. They found that people who were more physically active but had short sleep -- less than six hours on average -- had faster cognitive decline overall, meaning that after 10 years, their cognitive function was equivalent to peers who did less physical activity. Lead author Dr. Mikaela Bloomberg (UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care) said: "Our study suggests that sufficient sleep may be required to get the full cognitive benefits of

  INSOMNIA HAS NOT IMPROVED WITH MEDICATIONS No difference between those who did and didn't take these drugs for 1-2 years Long-term use of prescription meds for insomnia doesn't seem to improve disturbed sleep in middle-aged women, suggests research published in the online journal  BMJ Open. There was no difference in sleep quality or duration between those who did and didn't take these meds for 1 to 2 years, the findings show. Disturbed sleep -- difficulty falling and/or staying asleep and waking early -- is common. An estimated 9 million adults in the US alone say they take prescription meds to try and get a good night's sleep. Poor quality sleep is associated with ill health, including diabetes, high blood pressure, pain, and depression, and various drugs are prescribed to induce shut-eye. These include benzodiazepines, Z-drugs including zolpidem, zaleplon, and eszopiclone, and other agents mainly intended for other conditions (off-label use), such as quelling anxie

  E-BIKES PROMOTE FITNESS AND HEALTH The role of the e-bike in promoting health and fitness is comparable to that of a conventional bicycle. This was reported by researchers at the University of Basel in the  Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine . In particular, overweight and untrained individuals can benefit from riding an e-bike . The starting point for the pilot study was the Bike to Work campaign, which has been running in Switzerland for ten years now and invites commuters to switch to their bicycles or e-bikes every year for a month. Almost 65,000 cyclists took part this year. A research group at the Department of Sport, Exercise and Health at the University of Basel examined how the exercise intensity on e-bikes compares to conventional bicycles. They conclude that training with an e-bike is not less effective but has comparable health benefits as regular bicycling. Furthermore, the researchers found that even after a relatively short training period of four weeks, improvements

  OPTIMAL HYDRATION LINKED TO HEALTHY AGING Adults who stay well-hydrated appear to be healthier, develop fewer chronic conditions, such as heart and lung disease, and live longer than those who may not get sufficient fluids, according to a National Institutes of Health study published in  eBioMedicine. Using health data gathered from 11,255 adults over 30 years, researchers analyzed links between serum sodium levels -- which go up when fluid intake goes down -- and various health indicators. They found that adults with serum sodium levels at the higher end of a normal range were more likely to develop chronic conditions and show signs of advanced biological aging than those with serum sodium levels in the medium range. Adults with higher levels were also more likely to die younger. "The results suggest that proper hydration may slow down aging and prolong a disease-free life," said Natalia Dmitrieva, Ph.D., a study author and researcher in the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Re

  HEAT STROKE PREVENTION "Heat stroke is not an accident," says Marilyn J. Heine, M.D., an emergency physician in Bucks County and a member of the Pennsylvania Medical Society. "Over the summer, we see too many cases of heat-related illness in the emergency room, but it's a condition that generally can be prevented with a little effort and lots of common sense." Not an accident," says Marilyn J. Heine, M.D., an emergency physician in Bucks County and a member of the Pennsylvania Medical Society. "Over the summer, we see too many cases of heat-related illness in the emergency room, but it's a condition that generally can be prevented with a little effort and common sense." Still, it happens all too frequently. Several highly publicized reports of athletes dying from heat stroke in recent years, most notably Minnesota Viking Korey Stringer, who died August 1, 2001, after developing multi-organ system failure. High school and college-level player

  STORED FAT AROUND THE WAIST MAY NOT INCREASE DIABETES RISKS FOR EVERYONE. For some people, gene variants may cause abdominal fat storage while protecting them from diabetes. Conventional wisdom holds that storing fat around your belly increases your risk for type 2 diabetes. But surprising new findings from the University of Virginia School of Medicine suggest that naturally occurring gene variations can lead some people to store fat at the waist and protect them from diabetes. The unexpected discovery provides a more nuanced view of the role of obesity in diabetes and related health conditions. It also could pave the way for more personalized medicine -- treatments tailored to the individual. For example, the researchers say doctors might prioritize weight loss for patients whose genes put them at increased risk but place less emphasis on it for patients with protective gene variants. "There is a growing body of evidence for metabolically healthy obesity. In this condition, peo

  CHILDHOOD TELEVISION VIEWING LINKED TO ADULTHOOD METABOLIC SYNDROME A University of Otago study has added weight to the evidence that watching too much television as a child can lead to poor health in adulthood. The research, led by Professor Bob Hancox of the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, and published this week in the journal  Pediatrics , found that children who watched more television were more likely to develop metabolic syndrome as an adult. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions, including high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat, and abnormal cholesterol levels that increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. Using data from 879 participants of the Dunedin study, researchers found those who watched more television between the ages of 5 and 15 were more likely to have these conditions at age 45. Television viewing times were asked at ages 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15. On average, they watched just over two hours per weekday. "T