Exercise
Exercise is "Physical activity which is usually regular and done with the intention of improving or maintaining physical fitness or health."[1]
Types of physical activities
Usual daily activities
"Neighborhood physical and social environmental factors are significantly associated with walking at recommended levels."[2]
Moderate to high intensity exercise
(in progress)
Effects of exercise
Effect on insulin sensitivity
(in progress)
Effect on insulin production
Aerobic exercise was shown to increase beta cell function in older persons, in whom both insulin production and insulin sensitivity are frequently impaired.[3]
Effects on the brain
The effects of exercise on mood and mental functioning, described by the latin quotation Mens sana in corpore sano (a healthy mind in a healthy body), are profound. Research attempting to isolate the biochemical nature of this relationship showed that the access to the brain of the insulin-like growth factor I, which is stimulated by physical activity, could explain much of the beneficial effects of exercise.[4]
Harm reduction
Considering the magnitude of the health effects of exercise, it is justified to enquire if this strategy can act as protective measure against the harm associated with a variety of unhealthy practices that patients are unable or unwilling to abandon. Harm reduction is a pragmatic approach to medical and psychological care that seeks to address the needs of such persons, instead of focussing only on coercitive and poorly effective approaches to unhealthy behaviours, most notably addictions. It appears that engaging in higher physical activities neutralizes many of the deleterious effects of tobacco smoking.[5] Tobacco addiction in itself leads to a tendency to physical inactivity, a fact that should reinforce the need to investigate the health effects of exercise and promote its value in tobacco addiction, the major cause of lung cancer.
Mortality
Physical fitness, as measured by maximal treadmill exercise test duration, correlates with longevity in the elderly.[6]
References
- ↑ National Library of Medicine. Exercise. Retrieved on 2007-10-19.
- ↑ Wen M, Kandula NR, Lauderdale DS (2007). "Walking for Transportation or Leisure: What Difference Does the Neighborhood Make?". DOI:10.1007/s11606-007-0400-4. PMID 17932724. Research Blogging.
- ↑ Bloem CJ, Chang AM (2007). "Short-term Exercise Improves {beta}-cell Function and Insulin Resistance in Older People with Impaired Glucose Tolerance". DOI:10.1210/jc.2007-1734. PMID 18000089. Research Blogging.
- ↑ Carro E, Nuñez A, Busiguina S, Torres-Aleman I (2000). "Circulating insulin-like growth factor I mediates effects of exercise on the brain". J. Neurosci. 20 (8): 2926–33. PMID 10751445. [e]
- ↑ deRuiter W, Faulkner G (2006). "Tobacco harm reduction strategies: the case for physical activity". Nicotine Tob. Res. 8 (2): 157–68. DOI:10.1080/14622200500494823. PMID 16766410. Research Blogging.
- ↑ Xuemei Sui et al., “Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Adiposity as Mortality Predictors in Older Adults,” JAMA 298, no. 21 (December 5, 2007), http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/298/21/2507 (accessed December 5, 2007).