While consuming less fattening foods and following an alkaline diet of fruits and vegetables may help decrease artery blockage, a study has found that exercise may help patients with peripheral artery disease.

There are more than 5 million patients who suffer from the disease, which deals with the plaque build-up in arteries that can limit blood circulation to the limbs, which can ultimately cause an amputation.

According to a study found in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, it was revealed that exercises help with the creation of a protein known as PGC-1alpha, which helps with the generation of new blood vessels in leg muscles. The protein senses poor circulation in the body and works to fix the problem. Researchers noticed that exercise helps boost this process, known as angiogenesis, faster.

“Our data strongly suggest a new paradigm for the process of angiogenesis in response to exercise, demonstrating that upstream beta-adrenergic signaling, likely stemming from increased nerve activity, triggers angiogenesis,” the authors wrote.

Researchers focused on telomeres, the protective caps on the chromosomes that keep a cell’s DNA stable but shorten with age.

They found telomeres shortened less quickly in key immune cells of athletes with a long history of endurance training. The study, by Saarland University, appears in the journal Circulation.

In a separate study of young Swedish men, cardiovascular fitness has been linked to increased intelligence and higher educational achievement. Telomeres are relatively short sections of specialised DNA that sit at the ends of all our chromosomes.

They have been compared to the plastic tips at the ends of shoelaces that prevent the laces from unravelling. Each time a cell divides, its telomeres shorten and the cell becomes more susceptible to dying.

The researchers measured the length of telomeres in blood samples from two groups of professional athletes and two groups of people who were healthy non-smokers, but who did not take regular exercise.

One group of professional athletes included members of the German national track and field athletics team, who had an average age of 20.

The second group was made up of middle-aged athletes who had regularly run long distances – an average of 80km a week – since their youth. The researchers found evidence that the physical exercise of the professional athletes led to activation of an enzyme called telomerase, which helped to stabilise telomeres.

This reduced the telomere shortening in leukocytes, a type of white blood cell that plays a key role in fighting infection and disease. The most pronounced effect was found in athletes who had been regularly endurance training for several decades.

Lead researcher Dr Ulrich Laufs said: “This is direct evidence of an anti-ageing effect of physical exercise.

“Our data improves the molecular understanding of the protective effects of exercise and underlines the potency of physical training in reducing the impact of age-related disease.”
Professor Tim Spector, an expert on genetics and ageing at Kings College London, said other studies had suggested more moderate exercise had a beneficial effect on ageing.

He said: “It is still difficult to separate cause and effect from these studies – as longer telomeres may still be a marker of fitness.

“Nevertheless – this is further evidence that regular exercise may retard aging.”

Professor Kay-Tee Khaw, of the University of Cambridge, an expert on ageing, said: “The benefits of physical activity for health are well established from many large long-term population studies.

“Even moderate levels of physical activity are related to lower levels of many heart disease risk factors such as blood pressure and cholesterol and lower risk of many chronic diseases associated with ageing such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers.”

In the second study, published in Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences, a team from the University of Gothenburg analysed data on more than 1.2 million Swedish men born from 1950-1976 who enlisted for military service at age 18.

They found that good heart health was linked to higher intelligence, better educational achievement and raised status in society. By studying twins in the study, the researchers concluded that environmental and lifestyle factors were key, rather than genetics.

They said the findings suggested that campaigns to promote physical exercise might help to raise standards of educational achievement across the population.

Lead researcher Professor Georg Kuhn said cardiovascular exercise increased blood flow to the brain, which in turn might help forge more and stronger connections between nerve cells.

However, he said it was also possible that intelligent people tended to make more exercise.

A new study suggests that while nutritional supplements such as magnesium may help ease muscle pain in the neck and back, exercise may also help ease the discomfort.

The study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, found that when women were exposed to strength training exercises with dumbbells, they experience a muscle build up that helps the tenderness and tightness of the upper trapezius muscle.

Research found that two-thirds of women in office jobs experience pain in their upper trapezius muscle, which may be a result of doing tedious computer work.

The study consisted of 42 working women who were split into groups utilizing a 10-week strength training exercise program, general fitness or counseling on diet and health regimens respectively.

It was found that the women who participated in the strength training experienced 50 percent less pain, and that those in the general fitness and control groups did not experience a significant decrease in discomfort.

The researchers noted that the strength training encouraged women to overcome their fears of using the muscles that hurt them, leading them to exercise more and decrease the tightness.

A team of epidemiologists from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston looked at 2,600-plus men who were diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1990 and 2002, while they were enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.

As part of that study, the men answered questions about their rates of physical activity every year, so exercise data was available from before and after their diagnoses. What they found was that men who engaged in five or more hours of vigorous activity a week had a 56 percent lower risk of dying from prostate cancer.

Exercise has what doctors call a “protective effect.” In this study of men with prostate cancer, the researchers found that after a prostate cancer diagnosis, exercise was linked with a lower risk of death by all causes, whether the exercise was vigorous or not. “But when we looked at mortality specifically from prostate cancer, we only saw a significant benefit with more vigorous activity—at the level of five or more hours of vigorous activity per week,” says lead author Stacey Kenfield, Sc.D., a research associate at Harvard School of Public Health.

So while any type of exercise is beneficial for overall health, for prostate cancer, it seems more vigorous levels are needed to see a benefit.

Other studies evaluating the link between exercise and survival after the diagnosis of colorectal and breast cancers suggest that exercise also improves the odds of surviving those cancers. It’s not clear why or how exercise can have beneficial effects for cancer patients, though.

“There are a number of molecular pathways through which exercise could exert an effect on prostate-cancer biology,” says Kenfield. “For instance, exercise influences hormones thought to stimulate prostate cancer.” Exercise can improve your sleep and your mood. Plus, exercise in general improves immune function and can reduce systemic inflammation—all good stuff for trouncing cancer.

Here’s how cancer patients can use exercise to shift the odds in their favor:

• Get your doc’s okay. According to the American Cancer Society, exercise after a cancer diagnosis can actually lead to more physical problems, not fewer, if you have the following conditions: bone metastasis (cancer that has spread to your bones); a low white blood cell count; a low platelet count; a fever or active infection; anemia; or unsteadiness, frailty, or other problem that might make exercise unsafe. So be sure to run your planned exercise regimen by your oncologist before you begin.

• Progress gradually. The rule of thumb for any exerciser—whether he or she has cancer or not—is to boost time and intensity no more than 10 percent per week. That means, if you start off by walking 60 minutes per week, you should add no more than 6 minutes to your weekly walking time the next.

• Exercise vigorously, if you can. In this study, five hours of jogging, running, tennis, swimming, and/or biking a week significantly reduced the risk of dying from prostate cancer in men with prostate cancer. Every person’s situation is different, though, so consult with your care team if you’re not sure how much exercise you can handle.

Exercise does not help to alleviate period pain, despite it being commonly recommended for women with monthly symptoms, say researchers.

A study of more than 650 university students reported in BJOG found 28% had moderate to severe period pain.

But Birmingham University researchers said they found no link with the amount of exercise the participants did.

GPs said women should be encouraged to do exercise regardless but drugs are available for those with period pain.

The study authors said beliefs about exercise being an effective treatment for bad period pain had persisted for years.

They carried out a questionnaire among 18 to 25-year-olds to find out what age they started their period, how often they had periods, what contraception they used, and whether they had children or had any conditions such as endometriosis or fibroids.

The students were also asked what type of exercise they did and how often as well as other general lifestyle questions.

Responses showed that 72% had no or very little period pain but 28% had moderate to severe pain with their monthly cycle.

After taking into account mood, ethnicity, weight, smoking, and use of the contraceptive pill, they found no link with how much exercise a woman did and whether she suffered from period pain, or how bad her pain was.

‘Anecdotal beliefs’

Researcher, Dr Amanda Daley concluded that more research was needed before women are told that exercise will reduce of alleviate period pain.

“Anecdotal beliefs that exercise is an effective treatment have prevailed for many years and while it might seem intuitively appealing to promote exercise as a treatment for menstrual disorders, the findings from this study, along with many others, would not support such a view.

“Of course there are many other important health reasons for encouraging women to be physically active and exercise performed in moderation is unlikely to be harmful.”

Royal College of GPs chairman Professor Steve Field said women with period pain should do what works for them and exercise might make them feel better in general.

“It is a common problem and people usually self-medicate.

“Some exercise is good for you of course but the main treatment for period pain is the contraceptive pill.”

The study was presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Frontiers in Cancer Prevention research conference, and scientists indicated that moderate levels of exercise can offer benefits to those fighting the disease.

Prostate cancer, which is detected through moderating PSA levels, is a common cancer found in men aged 60 and older that can become fatal without treatment.

The researchers looked at the exercise levels of 2,686 patients. They found that men who engaged in at least three hours a week of exercises such as jogging, biking, swimming and playing tennis, had a 35 percent lower risk of mortality.

When it came to walking, men who walked four or more hours a week had a 23 percent less risk of dying than those who walked less than 20 minutes a week. Similarly, men who walked at a fast pace for at least 90 minutes a week had a 51 percent less risk than those who walked less than 90 minutes a week at a slow pace.

There are over 5 million patients who suffer from the disease, which deals with the plaque build up in arteries that can limit blood circulation to the limbs, which can ultimately cause an amputation.

According to a study found in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, it was revealed that exercises helps with the creation of a protein known as PGC-1alpha, which helps with the generation of new blood vessels in leg muscles. The protein senses poor circulation in the body and works to fix the problem. Researchers noticed that exercise helps boost this process, known as angiogenesis, faster.

“Our data strongly suggest a new paradigm for the process of angiogenesis in response to exercise, demonstrating that upstream beta-adrenergic signaling, likely stemming from increased nerve activity, triggers angiogenesis,” the authors wrote.

Middle-aged men and women may be risking arthritis if they overdo their exercise regime, research suggests.

A US study of more than 200 people aged 45 to 55 and of “normal” weight found those doing the most exercise were the most likely to suffer knee damage.

Running and jumping may also do more damage to cartilage and ligaments than swimming and cycling, researchers said.

One arthritis charity said it was important to keep fit and most people would not have any problems.

Osteoarthritis – the most common form of arthritis – is a degenerative joint disease that causes pain, swelling and stiffness and affects 8m people in the UK.

It is more common in women, and the risk increases with age and weight.

Presenting the findings at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, the researchers said their study included people who had not reported any previous knee pain.

Activity

Based on a questionnaire designed to work out how much exercise they do, participants were split into low-, middle- and high-activity groups.

A typical high-activity individual would do several hours of walking, sports or other types of exercise per week, as well as gardening and other household chores.

They then underwent MRI scans of the knee, looking for tears, lesions and other abnormalities in the cartilage and ligaments.

The damage seen was associated solely with activity levels and was not age or gender specific, the researchers said.

And it also seemed to be linked to the type of exercise a person did, although the researchers said this needed to be looked at in other studies.

Study leader Dr Christoph Stehling, a researcher at the University of California, San Francisco said: “Our data suggest that people with higher physical activity levels may be at greater risk for developing knee abnormalities and, thus, at higher risk for developing osteoarthritis.

“This study and previous studies by our group suggest that high impact, weight-bearing physical activity, such as running and jumping, may be worse for cartilage health.

“Conversely, low-impact activities, such as swimming and cycling, may protect diseased cartilage and prevent healthy cartilage from developing disease.”

A spokeswoman for the Arthritis Research Campaign said that the gains of exercise far outweighed any potential risks.

“We have known for years that certain high impact sports and jobs are associated with an increased risk of osteoarthritis, particularly of the knee, but for the vast majority of people exercise is good, not only for the cartilage but for total body health.

“Most people can exercise without any problems, but if you have had a joint injury or torn cartilage or ligaments you should be cautious about weight-bearing exercise, and swimming and cycling may provide a better option for you.”

Kate Llewelyn, of the charity Arthritis Care, said: “Osteoarthritis used to be considered wear and tear arthritis, but it’s now thought that there are many more factors than age and use that contribute to its development.

“Many people wrongly assume that exercising when you already have arthritis is a no no, but in fact appropriate exercise is one of the best ways to help control pain, boost energy, keep you mobile and strengthen your joints.”

Patients with

At a meeting of the American Heart Association they said they had randomly assigned 201 African Americans to meditate or to make lifestyle changes.

After nine years, the meditation group had a 47% reduction in deaths, heart attacks and strokes.

The research was carried out by the Medical College in Wisconsin with the Maharishi University in Iowa.

It was funded by a £2.3m grant from the National Institute of Health and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

‘Significant benefits’

The African American men and women had an average age of 59 years and a narrowing of the arteries in their hearts.

The meditation group were asked to practise for 20 minutes twice a day.

The lifestyle change group received education classes in traditional risk factors, including dietary modification and exercise.

Over 9 years, there were 20 events (heart attacks, strokes or death) in the meditation group and 31 in the health education group.

Dr Robert Schneider, lead author and director of the Centre for Natural Medicine and Prevention at the Maharishi University in Iowa said:

“At the end of the 9 years, 80% of the meditation group were still practising at least once a day.

“But there was very little change in the health education group.

“Their lifestyle was much the same in terms of diet and exercise – it’s a very difficult thing to make those changes.”

As well as the reductions in death, heart attacks and strokes in the meditating group, their average blood pressure was significantly lower (5mm Hg), and there was a significant reduction in psychological stress in some participants.

Dr Schneider said other studies had shown the benefits of Transcendental Meditation on blood pressure and stress, irrespective of ethnicity.

“This is the first controlled clinical trial to show that long-term practise of this particular stress reduction programme reduces the incidence of clinical cardiovascular events, that is heart attacks, strokes and mortality,” he said.

Dr Schneider said that the effect of Transcendental Meditation in the trial was like adding a class of newly discovered drugs for the prevention of heart disease.

He said: “In this case, the new medications are derived from the body’s own internal pharmacy stimulated by the Transcendental Meditation practice.”

Ingrid Collins, a consultant educational psychologist at the London Medical Centre, said: “I’m not at all surprised that a change of behaviour like this can have enormous benefits both emotionally and physically.

“Physical and emotional energy is on a continuum and whatever happens to us physically can affect our emotions and vice versa.”

British Heart Foundation Cardiac Nurse Ellen Mason said: “This is a fascinating area and the results were impressive.

“However, in order to fully assess the difference transcendental meditation could have on heart patient’s lives, we need to see research confirming it in a far bigger study and with other ethnic groups.”

The study was conducted by French scientists who monitored 8,801 French participants over the age of 65 and found that systolic and diastolic blood pressure values differed significantly across the four seasons of the year.

They noted that the higher the temperature, the greater the decrease in blood pressure. For example, systolic blood pressure decreased with increasing temperature, with an 8.0 mm Hg decrease between the lowest (less than 46.22 F) and the highest (70.16 F) temperatures.

In general, high blood pressure was found in 33.4 percent of participants during winter and 23.8 percent during summer, and these changes were most pronounced in those 80 years or older.

“Because the risk of stroke or aneurysmal rupture is highest in the elderly, improved protection against these diseases by close monitoring of blood pressure when outdoor temperature is very low could be considered,” the researchers concluded.

Health practitioners have also recommended exercise and nutritional supplements to help improve circulation and lower blood pressure.

Amazing blood pressure secret from the Japanese

For more than 1,000 years, people in Japan have consumed a soy-based food called natto, which contains a unique enzyme called nattokinase. By eating this powerful enzyme, the Japanese keep their blood vessels clear and free of dangerous blood clots.

Plus, there’s an amazing side effect—less blood pressure is needed to push blood through your arteries. In fact, a blue ribbon study in Japan showed a 10.9% drop in systolic blood pressure and a 9.7% drop in diastolic blood pressure with nattokinase supplementation.

Now, after many centuries in secrecy, nattokinase is finally available in America.
Clearly, if you want to support healthy circulation and enjoy normal blood pressure at the same time, nattokinase is the nutrient for you. To find out how to get this scientifically proven enzyme in an inexpensive daily supplement