Fitness
Benefits of adolescent fitness to future cardiovascular health possibly overestimated
There is a well-known relationship between good physical fitness at a young age and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease later in life. However, when researchers adjusted for familial factors by means of sibling analysis, they found a weaker association, although the link between high body mass index (BMI) and cardiovascular disease remained strong. The study, which was conducted by researchers from Karolinska Institutet and other universities, is published in JAMA Network Open.
“This does not mean that fitness is irrelevant,” says the study’s last author Viktor Ahlqvist, doctoral student at the Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet. “We could still see an association, although it was weaker after taking into account factors shared by full siblings. We also think that adolescence is an important time in life for establishing good habits such as exercising and having a healthy diet.”
Challenging to prove causal associations
Many observational studies have previously demonstrated links between various risk factors at a young age and cardiovascular disease in adulthood. However, whether the associations are causal is challenging to prove because of the potential influence of unaccounted genetic and environmental factors. A collaborative team including researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden has therefore tried to examine if a large proportion of cardiovascular diseases in adulthood could indeed be prevented with a lower BMI, lower blood pressure, improved physical fitness or improved muscle strength in adolescence.
Sourcing data from the Swedish Military Conscription Register and other Swedish registries, the researchers identified over a million 18-year-old males and followed them for 60 years. Almost half of them were full brothers.
“The strength of our study, which makes it more reliable than many other conventional observational studies, is that we have used sibling analyses,” says the study’s first author Marcel Ballin, researcher at Uppsala University and analyst at Region Stockholm’s Centre for Epidemiology and Community Medicine. “By doing so we could examine how the relationship changes when controlling for all shared sibling factors. This includes environmental factors such as childhood environment and half of the genetics.”
High BMI is a strong risk factor
The results show that a high BMI in late adolescence was strongly associated with future cardiovascular disease, even after the researchers had controlled for shared familial factors. However, the association between physical fitness and cardiovascular disease was considerably weaker in the sibling analysis, suggesting that many previous observational studies might have overestimated the relevance of adolescent fitness to cardiovascular health later in life.
“Our conclusion is that of the risk factors studied, high BMI is the strongest individual risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and that efforts to tackle the obesity epidemic should continue to be given high priority,” says co-author Daniel Berglind, docent at the Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet. “A good level of fitness and muscle strength in adolescence doesn’t seem as crucial, but physical activity still remains important for public health, as it can bring other health benefits.”
Several limitations
The study examined the association between risk factors at a young age and future cardiovascular disease; other disease outcomes were not investigated. The researchers had no data on whether the participants’ risk factors varied later in life, and they only studied men, which makes it difficult to extend their findings to women. The Military Conscription Register also lacks details on certain risk factors for future cardiovascular disease, such as diet, alcohol consumption, smoking, blood lipids and blood glucose.
The researchers received no specific grant for this study. Co-author Martin Neovius is on the advisory panels for Ethicon, Johnson & Johnson and Itrim and has been a consultant for the Swedish armed forces outside the scope of this study. No other conflicts of interest have been reported.
Fitness
The best new health and fitness features in the Apple Watch 10, including sleep apnea detection
This week, Apple unveiled its latest slate of mobile tech, including the new Apple iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro Max, along with the all-new AirPods 4 and upgraded AirPods Max headphones. However, one of the most impressive items from Apple’s announcement is the revamped Apple Watch Series 10, launching on Sept. 20. The tenth-generation Apple Watch is thinner and lighter than previous models, with a bigger screen.
While there are tons of things to be excited about on the new wearable, some of our favorite things about the Apple Watch 10 are its new health and fitness features. A brand new AI engine powers new features like sleep apnea detection, along with more accurate crash and fall detection and exercise tracking.
Tap the button below to pre-order the latest Apple Watch now, or read on to learn more about these new health and fitness features.
Apple Watch 10 is adding sleep apnea detection
One of the most hyped features of the Apple Watch 10 is its new sleep apnea detection ability. This feature is still awaiting FDA clearance, but the brand said it’s expecting to roll it out in over 150 countries later this month.
Once it’s officially launched, the sleep apnea tracking feature will use the watch’s accelerometer to measure breathing disturbances, while simultaneously tracking your heart rate and wrist temperature. It will analyze and compile that data into a report every 30 days. If it detects signs of sleep apnea, it’ll send you an alert so that you can share the report with your doctor.
Studies say an estimated 80% of obstructive sleep apnea cases remain undiagnosed, so this new feature may play a big role in helping people get the diagnosis and treatment they need to sleep better and reduce their risk of the heart, kidney and metabolic health complications linked to the condition.
Apple Watch 10 adds fitness tracking upgrades for swimmers and runners
Users will also enjoy other cool health and fitness upgrades, like improved auto-detection of your activities, new performance metrics, and new features like offline maps for hiking. In an industry-first, the new smartwatch will be able to auto-detect when you’re running on a track, so you can strap on your Noah Lyles-inspired Adidas and start running laps without worrying that your watch will track it as a regular run. You’ll get all your lap count and lap-by-lap metrics without having to manually set it to track workout.
Swimmers get the same 50-meter water resistance as the Apple Watch 9, but you’ll now be able to use your water-resistant smartwatch to track strokes and count laps for you in the pool. Wear it on your next snorkeling trip, too: The Apple Watch 10 comes with a built-in Depth app that can measure down to six meters. It’ll also measure and display water temperature when you’re tracking a pool swim or open water swim workout.
The new Apple Watch 10 hits shelves on September 20, and prices start at $399. But you can preorder yours now.
Top features of the new Apple Watch Series 10:
- Pending FDA clearance, the new Apple Watch will be able to detect signs of sleep apnea and generate a report of your sleep data to show your doctor.
- The more powerful AI also has improved crash detection and fall detection.
- Enjoy improved workout tracking like automatic track running detection for runners, stroke detection and lap counting for swimmers and more performance metrics for cyclists.
- Hikers can now follow offline maps from their wrist.
- A 30% larger screen with wide angle OLED technology offers a brighter, crisper display that you can see from all angles.
- The Apple Watch 10 is thinner and lighter than previous models.
TUESDAY, Sept. 10, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Annoyed that you still have a bit of tummy even though you work out all the time?
Exercise actually is helping you develop healthier belly fat tissue, a new study says.
That means that even if you don’t obtain six-pack abs, exercise is good for your long-term health, researchers said.
“Our findings indicate that in addition to being a means to expend calories, exercising regularly for several months to years seems to modify your fat tissue in ways that allows you to store your body fat more healthfully if or when you do experience some weight gain — as nearly everyone does as we get older,” said researcher Jeffrey Horowitz, a professor of movement science at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology.
For the study, researchers compared two groups of people with obesity. One group of 16 people said they’d exercised at least four times a week for at least two years, while another group of 16 said they’d never regularly exercised.
Samples were taken from belly fat tissue just under the skin, which is considered the healthiest place for the body to store fat.
Fat stored under the skin is less likely to cause health problems compared to fat accumulating around or inside organs, researchers said.
People who regularly exercised had distinct differences in their fat tissue that increased their capacity to store fat under the skin, results show.
These include more blood vessels, increased levels of mitochondria and beneficial proteins, less collagen that interferes with metabolism, and fewer inflammatory cells, researchers said.
“What it means is that if or when people experience weight gain, this excess fat will be stored more ‘healthfully’ in this area under the skin, rather than in the fat tissue around their organs or an accumulation of fat in organs themselves, like the liver or heart,” Horowitz said in a university news release.
Follow-up lab experiments showed that cells drawn from the exercisers developed into tissue that stored fat more effectively, researchers added.
Researchers said further long-term study is needed to track people and see how fat tissue changes as they exercise over time.
The new study was published Sept. 10 in the journal Nature Metabolism.
More information
The Cleveland Clinic has more on types of body fat.
SOURCE: University of Michigan, news release, Sept. 10, 2024
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) – As Gator fans head back to the swamp, you may be wanting to brush up on your stadium skills.
Fitness trainer Ryan from Gainesville Health and Fitness shows you how to get ready to climb stairs in this week’s Your Fitness.
RELATED: Gainesville Health and Fitness: Football inspired exercises
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