Exercise Protects Against Heart Disease

About 60 percent of the protection provided to women by exercise against heart disease and stroke comes from its effect on a few specific risk factors, says a U.S. study in the journal Circulation. Researchers assessed cardiovascular risk factors and exercise levels in more than 27,000 women, ages 45-90 (average age 55) enrolled in the Women’s Health Study who were followed for more than 11 years for new diagnosis of heart attack and stroke.Women who exercised the most were 40 percent less likely to have a heart attack or stroke than those who did the least amount of exercise.

Prevent Heart Attacks & Strokes

“Regular physical activity is enormously beneficial in preventing heart attack and stroke,” lead author Dr. Samia Mora, instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in the divisions of preventive and cardiovascular medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said in a prepared statement. “We found that even modest changes in risk factors for heart disease and stroke, especially those related to inflammation/hemostasis and blood pressure, can have a profound impact on preventing clinical events. This study is the first to examine the importance of a variety of known risk factors in explaining how physical activity prevents heart disease and stroke,” Mora said.

Learn more about how exercise can increase your health and wellness.

By Lisa Gorman, Registered Dietitian

Broccoli Packed with Vitamins and Minerals

One stalk of broccoli (about 1 ½ cups chopped) is packed with an enormous amount of vitamins and minerals that aid in muscle recovery and help in maximizing metabolic functions. Broccoli contains chromium which is an essential trace mineral that the body needs to metabolize carbohydrates, fats and proteins. The key to supporting a healthy body and weight loss.

Eat It Weight Loss & Disease Prevention
Broccoli also helps control blood sugar levels by enhancing insulin’s effects at the cellular level in muscles. The 65-mg of calcium provided in one serving of broccoli can help to control fat storage by excreting dietary fat from the intestines before being absorbed. It’s a great weight management food and its regular consumption can aid in preventing Type 2 Diabetes.

Broccoli is an excellent source of glucosinolates that are derived from branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) – proteins that help in cellular defense. When broccoli is chewed or chopped, the glucosinolates are converted into potent phytochemicals or antioxidants that help protect the cells from stress. Broccoli is a good source of vitamin C with about 120 mg per 1 ½ cups chopped. Vitamin C helps you recover faster from intense workouts while protecting the immune system.
Want to learn more about functional foods that will boost your metabolism and enhance your workouts? Get your personalized nutrition plan today! Contact Lisa Gorman Registered Dietitian Gold’s Gym 770-843-2210 or lmgnutrition@hotmail.com

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By Gordon Johnson 

Manage Diabetes with Exercise 

People with type 2 diabetes may go a long way in managing their condition if they take up regular exercise, a new research review shows.  Researchers found that when they combined the results from 103 studies, there was clear evidence that lifestyle changes helped people with type 2 diabetes gain better control over their blood sugar. But while diet, exercise and medication are all vital to diabetes management, exercise alone was effective in these studies.

Exercise the Key to Controlling Diabetes 

In fact, the review found, studies that focused only on boosting exercise levels yielded greater benefits than those that tried to change patients’ diets, exercise habits and medication adherence all at once.  The findings “could mean that it is easier for people to focus on one thing at a time,” lead stud y author Dr. Vicki Conn said in a statement. “It is easy for people to get overwhelmed when asked to make too many changes.”  Conn and her colleagues at the University of Missouri-Columbia report the findings in the journal Diabetologia.  For their study, the researchers combined the results of 103 studies that involved a total of 10,455 adults with type 2 diabetes, a disorder in which the body cannot properly use the blood-sugar-regulating hormone insulin.

If you suffer from Type 2 Diabetes or know someone who does, learn more about how exercise can help. 

People Marrying excess weight who aim to ward off diabetes should try to lose the pounds before they reach middle age, Australian researchers suggest.

BODY MASS INDEX Strong Predictor for Diabetes Risk

A woman’s body mass index (BMI) in her late 40s was the strongest predictor of her risk of developing diabetes over the next eight years, Dr. Gita D. Mishra of the University of Queensland and her colleagues found.

On the other hand, there was no link between weight change in subsequent years and the likelihood of becoming diabetic.

Is Your Weight The Problem?

While excess weight is understood to boost the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, the effects of shorter-term weight gain or loss are not as clear, Mishra and her team note in the journal Diabetes Care. To investigate, the researchers followed 7,239 women for 8 years. Study participants were 45 to 50 years old when the study began, and they completed surveys on their health at the study’s outset in 1996 and in 1998, 2001 and 2004.

Your greatest risk.

Those with BMIs of 25 or greater, indicating they were overweight or obese, in 1996 were at the highest risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 2004, the researchers found. Very obese women with BMIs of 35 or above were 12 times more likely than their normal-weight peers to become diabetic.

Want to know your body mass index?  Get a Free Mini-Membership and find out today.