Boomers Must Take Extra Steps To Prevent Sports And Exercise-related Injuries

While exercise and playing sports can be lots of fun, aging puts some limits on the intensity and duration of that activity. Growing older also makes us more prone to injuries ourselves during physical activity. "Baby boomers" tend to be at risk, since they may just be discovering their bodies are not as young as they used to be. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) recommends that "boomers" take special cautions to help prevent injuries as they exercise to keep their bodies in top condition.

According to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission, in 2005:

-- More than 128,000 people between the ages of 45 and 64 were treated in hospital emergency rooms, doctors' offices, clinics and other medical settings for injuries related to exercise and exercise equipment.

"When you are 50, your body is more prone to injury than it was when you were 20," says Emmett McEleney, MD, orthopaedic surgeon and AAOS Leadership Fellows Program member. "Joints, tissues and muscles may not be as flexible as they used to be. So as you get older, you need to take extra steps to protect yourself from injuries when you exercise."

The Academy offers the following strategies to help baby boomers prevent exercise-related injuries:

-- Check with your doctor first. Before beginning an exercise program, a physician can make sure your heart is in good condition, and make recommendations based on your current fitness level. This is especially important if you have had a previous injury.
-- Always warm up and stretch before exercising. Cold muscles are more likely to get injured, so warm up with some light exercise for at least 3 to 5 minutes.
-- Don't be a "weekend warrior." Moderate exercise every day is healthier and less likely to result in injury than heavy activity only on weekends.
-- Take lessons. An instructor can help ensure that you are using the proper form, which can prevent overuse injuries such as tendonitis and stress fractures.
-- Develop a balanced fitness program. Incorporate cardio, strength training, and flexibility training to get a total body workout and prevent overuse injuries. Also, introduce new exercises gradually, so you don't take on too much at once.
-- Take calcium and vitamin D daily.
-- Listen to your body. As you age, you may not be able to do some of the activities that you did years ago. Pay attention to your body's needs and abilities and modify your workout accordingly.

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Obesity bad for the bones

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- New research does not support the general belief that obesity increases bone mass and is therefore good for bone health. A study, in which investigators corrected for the mechanical loading effect of increasing body weight, suggests the opposite.

"Our study found that increasing body fat mass decreases bone mass, for people of similar weight," Dr. Hong-Wen Deng from University of Missouri-Kansas City told Reuters. "Therefore, increasing obesity (fat mass) is not good for bone health."

The finding is "important," Deng and colleagues say, because it suggests that interventions or treatments aimed at reducing obesity may increase bone mass and thus protect against osteoporosis.

Past studies on the relationship between obesity and osteoporosis did not control for the "mechanical loading effects" of a person's total body weight on bone mass, the investigators note in a report published this month.

Deng's team reevaluated the relationship between obesity and osteoporosis taking into account mechanical loading effects of total body weight on bone mass in more than 6,400 healthy adults.

According to the investigators, when the mechanical loading effect of body weight on bone mass was adjusted for, fat mass was negatively associated with bone mass; that is, in general, the greater the fat mass, the lower the bone mass.

The results of their study, the researchers say, also "reaffirm the beneficial effects of appropriate weight-bearing and mechanical loading on a healthy skeletal system."

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Strength training may reverse muscle aging

By Amy Norton

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Strength training may not only make older adults' muscles stronger, but younger as well, a small study suggests.

It's well known that resistance exercises improve muscle strength and function in young and old alike, but the new research suggests that strength training also affects older muscles on the level of gene expression -- essentially turning back the clock on muscle aging.

The study, published in the online journal PLoS One, looked at whether strength training affects the "gene expression profile" in older adults' muscle. Genes hold the instructions from which the body manufactures proteins; gene expression refers to the processes that translate these instructions into proteins.

Analyzing small samples of muscle tissue from a group of healthy young and older adults, researchers found that older and younger muscle tissues differed significantly in their gene expression profiles. The difference indicated that older muscle tissue had impaired functioning in mitochondria -- structures within cells that act as the cell's "powerhouse."

That impairment was reversible, however. After 14 of the older adults underwent 6 months of strength training, the gene expression profile in their muscles showed a more youthful appearance.

"In a very real sense, the muscle was younger," said lead study author Dr. Simon Melov of the Buck Institute for Age Research in Novato, California.

Experts have long known that exercise is good for younger and older adults alike, Melov told Reuters Health, but the new findings suggest that it can "actually rejuvenate muscle" in older individuals.

The study included 25 healthy men and women older than 65, and 26 healthy adults ages 20 to 35 who had diet and exercise habits similar to the older group. By analyzing muscle tissue from each volunteer, Melov's team found age-related differences in the expression of hundreds of genes -- such that mitochondrial function in older adults appeared "dramatically impaired."

Fourteen of the older adults then went through a strength training program, working out two days a week for 6 months.

As expected, the researchers found that these volunteers boosted their muscle strength, coming closer to their younger counterparts' performance. But their muscle also showed a turnaround in gene expression that Melov described as surprisingly stark.

He said more studies are needed to see whether aerobic exercise, like walking or cycling, has similar effects on muscle -- and whether exercise might reverse molecular aging in other types of body tissue.

For now, the researchers say, their findings show that it's never too late to start exercising.

SOURCE: PLoS One, online May 23, 2007.

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Individuals Who Conduct Regular Exercise Achieve Lower Health Care Costs Says New Study by Medica and Life Time Fitness

Participants in Groundbreaking Medica - Life Time Fitness Program Realize More Than 33% Decrease in Per Member Per Month Health Care Claims Costs After Two Years in Program

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new study released by Medica and Life Time Fitness (NYSE:LTM) demonstrates that Medica members who began a new, regular program of exercise at Life Time Fitness centers saw a decrease in claim costs after just two years in the program. The members, who received a financial incentive to exercise regularly, saw an average claim cost decrease of more than 33 percent on a per member per month basis during the period.

The study involved 3,249 participants in the Fit Choices^SM by Medica program, which offers a $20 monthly credit from Medica toward the payment of members’ monthly dues if they exercise at least eight days per month at their chosen Life Time Fitness center. To ensure comparability with regard to health care expenditures before and after participating in the Fit Choices program, a control group of equivalent size, demographics, health status, and health care consumption habits also was established. Health care costs examined included facility claims, physician claims and RX claims, which were summed to derive total expenditures.

According to the study’s results, new Life Time Fitness members who exercised at least eight days per month after joining the Fit Choices program achieved an overall 33.6 percent per member per month average claim cost decrease as compared with the comparison test group in their second year of program participation. These participants also realized the following claims cost decreases relative to the control group:

• A 64.3% decrease in facility claims.
• A 13.0% decrease in physician claims.
• A 9.2% decrease in RX claims.

The study also revealed dramatic differences in visits to inpatient, emergency room and outpatient health care service providers among the same comparison groups. Non-program participant control group members realized an average of:

• 63.6% more visits to inpatient facilities.
• 105.0% more visits to emergency room facilities.
• 43.3% more visits to outpatient facilities.

“Fit Choices is all about helping people make better decisions about their health,” said Charles Fazio, M.D, chief medical officer at Medica. “When we formalized our partnership with Life Time Fitness in 2003, we began making an investment in peoples’ health and, in doing so, we expected to see it pay dividends by way of controlled health care costs. Via the study, we found that offering a financial incentive is effective in motivating people to exercise. We also validated that health care cost reductions occur when participants exercise at least eight days per month and participants experienced improvement in their health status based upon self-reported survey results.”

“We are highly encouraged by the study’s findings,” said Glen Gunderson, vice president of the Business-to-Business division at Life Time Fitness, Inc. “Life Time Fitness’ centers, programs and services have been specifically designed to allow individuals to take charge of their own health and wellbeing by adopting healthy-way-of-life habits in their everyday lives. Through the innovative partnership we started with Medica in 1999, we have demonstrated that people who decide to make a positive change in their lives through regular exercise and sound nutrition not only are healthier, but also, achieve real, quantifiable financial benefits, both as a result of the membership dues credit they receive and through reduced health care costs paid either by their insurer or out of their own pockets.”

In addition to monthly membership dues reimbursement, Fit Choices participants also receive preferred Life Time Fitness membership enrollment fees and may take advantage of a comprehensive personal fitness screening, development of an individualized health and wellness action plan, any many other unique programs and services.

Fit Choices is a standard component of Medica’s offerings to fully insured customers and is offered as an option for self-insured groups.

Keeping people healthy not only saves lives, it saves money. Studies show an estimated 70 percent of all illnesses are due to lifestyle-related causes such as obesity and physical inactivity, and one-half of all medical costs are attributable to illnesses that could be prevented. Within this environment, Medica estimates that it spends $80 million a year in health care costs for overweight and obesity-related illnesses among its commercial fully insured members – customers that account for approximately a third of all Medica members.

About Medica

Serving more than 1.3 million members, Medica is a health insurance company headquartered in Minneapolis and active in the Upper Midwest. The non-profit company provides health care coverage in the employer, individual, Medicaid, Medicare and Medicare Part D markets in Minnesota and a growing number of counties in North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Medica also offers national network coverage to employers who also have employees outside the Medica regional network. Medica has the highest accreditation status, Excellent, from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA®) for its Minnesota Medicaid HMO plans and commercial health plans in Minnesota and North Dakota. Medica’s vision is to become the community’s health plan of choice, trusted for its integrity, respected for its service, and admired for its commitment to innovation and efficiency.

About Life Time Fitness, Inc.

Life Time Fitness, Inc. (NYSE:LTM) operates distinctive and large sports and athletic, professional fitness, family recreation and resort/spa centers. As of May 21, 2007 the Company operated 62 centers in 14 states, including Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Utah and Virginia. The Company also operates two satellite facilities and five preview locations in existing and new markets. Additionally, Life Time Fitness provides consumers with personal training consultation, full-service spas and cafes, corporate wellness programs, health and nutrition education, the healthy lifestyle magazine - Experience Life, athletic events, and nutritional products and supplements. Life Time Fitness is headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and may be accessed on the Web at www.lifetimefitness.com. LIFE TIME FITNESS, the LIFE TIME FITNESS logo, and EXPERIENCE LIFE are registered trademarks of Life Time Fitness, Inc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Contacts

Medica
Greg Bury, 952-992-8437
greg.bury@medica.com
or
Larry Bussey, 952-992-8013
larry.bussey@medica.com
or
Life Time Fitness
Kent Wipf, 952-229-7211
kwipf@lifetimefitness.com
or
Jason Thunstrom, 952-229-7435
jthunstrom@lifetimefitness.com

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DIET: Thin people may be fat inside

By MARIA CHENG, AP Medical Writer

LONDON - If it really is what's on the inside that counts, then a lot of thin people might be in trouble. Some doctors now think that the internal fat surrounding vital organs like the heart, liver or pancreas — invisible to the naked eye — could be as dangerous as the more obvious external fat that bulges underneath the skin.

"Being thin doesn't automatically mean you're not fat," said Dr. Jimmy Bell, a professor of molecular imaging at Imperial College, London. Since 1994, Bell and his team have scanned nearly 800 people with MRI machines to create "fat maps" showing where people store fat.

According to the data, people who maintain their weight through diet rather than exercise are likely to have major deposits of internal fat, even if they are otherwise slim. "The whole concept of being fat needs to be redefined," said Bell, whose research is funded by Britain's Medical Research Council.

Without a clear warning signal — like a rounder middle — doctors worry that thin people may be lulled into falsely assuming that because they're not overweight, they're healthy.

"Just because someone is lean doesn't make them immune to diabetes or other risk factors for heart disease," said Dr. Louis Teichholz, chief of cardiology at Hackensack Hospital in New Jersey, who was not involved in Bell's research.

Even people with normal Body Mass Index scores — a standard obesity measure that divides your weight by the square of your height — can have surprising levels of fat deposits inside.

Of the women scanned by Bell and his colleagues, as many as 45 percent of those with normal BMI scores (20 to 25) actually had excessive levels of internal fat. Among men, the percentage was nearly 60 percent.

Relating the news to what Bell calls "TOFIs" — people who are "thin outside, fat inside" — is rarely uneventful. "The thinner people are, the bigger the surprise," he said, adding the researchers even found TOFIs among people who are professional models.

According to Bell, people who are fat on the inside are essentially on the threshold of being obese. They eat too many fatty, sugary foods — and exercise too little to work it off — but they are not eating enough to actually be fat. Scientists believe we naturally accumulate fat around the belly first, but at some point, the body may start storing it elsewhere.

Still, most experts believe that being of normal weight is an indicator of good health, and that BMI is a reliable measurement.

"BMI won't give you the exact indication of where fat is, but it's a useful clinical tool," said Dr. Toni Steer, a nutritionist at Britain's Medical Research Council.

Doctors are unsure about the exact dangers of internal fat, but some suspect it contributes to the risk of heart disease and diabetes. They theorize that internal fat disrupts the body's communication systems. The fat enveloping internal organs might be sending the body mistaken chemical signals to store fat inside organs like the liver or pancreas. This could ultimately lead to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, or heart disease.

Experts have long known that fat, active people can be healthier than their skinny, inactive counterparts. "Normal-weight persons who are sedentary and unfit are at much higher risk for mortality than obese persons who are active and fit," said Dr. Steven Blair, an obesity expert at the University of South Carolina.

For example, despite their ripples of fat, super-sized Sumo wrestlers probably have a better metabolic profile than some of their slim, sedentary spectators, Bell said. That's because the wrestlers' fat is primarily stored under the skin, not streaking throughout their vital organs and muscles.

The good news is that internal fat can be easily burned off through exercise or even by improving your diet. "Even if you don't see it on your bathroom scale, caloric restriction and physical exercise have an aggressive effect on visceral fat," said Dr. Bob Ross, an obesity expert at Queen's University in Canada.

Because many factors contribute to heart disease, Teichholz says it's difficult to determine the precise danger of internal fat — though it certainly doesn't help.

"Obesity is a risk factor, but it's lower down on the totem pole of risk factors," he said, explaining that whether or not people smoke, their family histories and blood pressure and cholesterol rates are more important determinants than both external and internal fat.

When it comes to being fit, experts say there is no short-cut. "If you just want to look thin, then maybe dieting is enough," Bell said. "But if you want to actually be healthy, then exercise has to be an important component of your lifestyle."

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Pediatricians Not Tracking Kids' BMI

Surveys find most failing to measure patients' body weight

By Randy Dotinga
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, May 8 (HealthDay News) -- Despite recommendations that came out years ago, two new studies suggest that many pediatricians are failing to properly track the body weight of their young patients.

Ideally, pediatricians take note of a child's height and weight and then perform a calculation to get a number that reveals whether the child has a weight problem, said Dr. Jennifer Hillman of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, lead author of one of the studies.

But Hillman and her colleagues found that 42 Cincinnati pediatricians correctly measured and tracked the body-mass index (BMI) of only 5.5 percent of the 500 children studied.

Obesity is a growing problem in children, Hillman said, causing "secondary complications like diabetes and high blood pressure and cardiac problems. We're seeing those things earlier and earlier."

The results of the 2004 study were released Monday at the Pediatric Academic Societies' annual meeting, in Toronto.

BMI, a number derived from a person's height and weight, measures whether someone is underweight, of normal weight or overweight.

Why not just eyeball a kid?

That doesn't work, according to Hillman. When kids are between toddler-age and adolescence, she said, "it's very difficult to look at a child and actually know by appearance" whether they're at risk for being underweight or overweight.

But even just the BMI doesn't present the entire picture for kids, as it does in adults. The growth of children throws off the BMI, so pediatricians who track it look at charts that tell them the proper BMI for children of specific ages and genders.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended since 2003 that pediatricians track BMI; federal growth charts have included BMI since 2000.

Why isn't there more consideration of BMI?

"One reason may be a lack of knowledge about the recommendations, about what the BMI means in children and how to use it," Hillman said. "We also wonder if there's some resistance in terms of how it takes a lot of extra time to explain this to families, and there's resistance from the family's perspective about a diagnosis of obesity and overweight."

A second study to be presented at the pediatric meeting found that a higher number -- 52 percent -- of 1,662 pediatricians surveyed in 2006 report assessing the BMI of patients over the age of 2.

That survey found that 92 percent of pediatricians felt comfortable talking to patients about weight issues, but only 38 percent thought such counseling would be effective. About two-thirds said they didn't have enough time to talk about the topic of weight.

Ninety-six percent of pediatricians want to do more about obesity, but "the barriers to being able to do this are both time and the doctor's expertise," in addition to health insurance companies that probably don't pay for weight and nutrition management, said study author Dr. Jonathan Klein, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Rochester.

What to do?

Parents "need to start prompting their physicians about BMI and learning about it," said Hillman. "That will push pediatricians to become more savvy and address the issue. It may also send a message to physicians that there may not be as much resistance as we think. Most parents just want their kids to be healthy, even if that means talking about something that's particularly sensitive."

More information

Learn more about BMI and kids from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SOURCES: Jennifer Hillman, M.D., clinical fellow in adolescent medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; Jonathan Klein, M.D., associate professor, pediatrics, University of Rochester, New York; May 7, 2007, presentation, Pediatric Academic Societies meeting, Toronto

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Exercising harder keeps weight off longer

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- People who consistently engage in high levels of exercise over the long haul are the most successful at losing weight and keeping it off, a new study shows.

Among a group of overweight men and women participating in an 18-month weight loss program, those who were still getting 75 minutes of exercise daily a year after the program ended had lost 26 pounds, compared with 1.8 pounds for people who were exercising less.

But only 13 of the 154 people who completed the study were able to sustain this level of activity, Dr. Deborah F. Tate of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and her colleagues found. "Strategies are needed to help participants maintain high levels of activity over the long-term," she and her colleagues conclude in a report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The researchers initially assigned 202 people to either a high physical activity group who aimed to burn 2,500 calories per week (equivalent to a 75-minute walk daily) or standard behavioral treatment, including 30 minutes of exercise daily, equivalent to 1,000 calories per week.

Twelve and 18 months later, people in the high activity group had lost significantly more weight than those in the lower activity group.

Although the participants in the high activity group were able to sustain the 2,500 calorie per week exercise goal during the 18-month study, their activity level declined once treatment ended, which resulted in no between-group differences in activity or weight loss at 2.5 years.

However, a small subgroup of people who stuck to the 2,500 calorie per week exercise regimen after the 18-month treatment period ended maintained a significantly larger weight loss than those who didn't exercise as much.

People who maintained high levels of exercise were also eating fewer calories and less fat.

The researchers believe that their e-mails, mailings and phone calls to study participants for the initial 18 months of the study were successful in helping them to reach exercise goals; continuing to stay in touch may have helped them sustain this level of activity.

"It is also possible that sustaining the long-term behavior changes that are needed for behaviors such as physical activity will require changes in the larger social and environmental context in which these behaviors occur," they conclude.

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IHRSA To Help Kickoff National Women's Health Week

As reported by Billings News, the eighth annual National Women’s Health
Week, coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’
Office on Women’s Health, begins on Mother’s Day, May 13.

More than 1,000 health-related events around the country, ranging from
health fairs and screenings to spa days, will encourage women to incorporate
preventive health measures into their everyday lives and take time to focus
on their health.

National Women’s Health Week is a nationwide initiative that calls attention
to the importance of women’s health. During the week, families, health
organizations, businesses, communities, the government and individuals come
together to raise awareness about women’s health issues and educate women
about simple steps they can take for a longer, healthier and happier life.

Organizations participating include the National Association of Chain Drug
Stores, the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association
(IHRSA), National Stroke Association, Screening for Mental Health Inc.,
Better Sleep Council and more. For information, visit
www.womenshealth.gov/whw

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HHS Secretary Announces Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Members, USA

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt announced today the members of the advisory committee that will make recommendations pertaining to the development of the first federal guidelines to focus on physical activity.

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans is to be issued in late 2008. The report will provide science-based recommendations on the latest knowledge about activity and health, with depth and flexibility to target specific population subgroups, such as seniors, children, and persons with disabilities. Secretary Leavitt announced the initiative in October.

"These experts have a broad array of knowledge of the health value of physical activity," Secretary Leavitt said. "I look forward to working with them to develop evidence-based guidelines on physical activity levels."

The advisory committee will hold its first meeting June 28 and 29, 2007. The committee will survey the history of physical activity guidelines in the U.S., and be introduced to the systematic evidence review process that will form the basis of the deliberations. The committee will also examine and summarize research that can be used as the basis of the guidelines and make suggestions on what should be included. The department will consider the research and the committee's recommendations as it develops guidelines.

Members of the Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee are:

Rod K. Dishman, Ph.D., professor of exercise science and director, Exercise Psychology Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, University of Georgia, Athens, Ga. Dr. Dishman is an expert in the area of mental health benefits of physical activity. Internationally recognized for his research on the determinants of physical activity and related neurobiological adaptations, Dr. Dishman has authored seminal reviews of the research literature, 125 refereed articles, 35 invited book chapters, three textbooks, and two edited books on exercise and public health. He was a contributing author of the Recommended Quality and Quantity of Exercise for Healthy Adults published in 1998 by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and Physical Activity and Health: a Report of the U.S. Surgeon General.

William Haskell, Ph.D., professor of medicine (active emeritus), Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, Calif., has been appointed as chair of the Committee. Professor Haskell has spent 40 years researching the effects of habitual physical activity on health and performance, especially in chronic disease prevention, cardiac rehabilitation, and assessment of physical activity in free-living populations. He is an expert in physiology with extensive knowledge of current recommendations for adults. He has participated in committees that have developed guidelines for physical activity and health for the ACSM, American Heart Association (AHA), American College of Cardiology, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He is actively involved in physical activity and health research and development and distribution of educational materials to health professionals and the public.

Edward Howley, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Department of Exercise, Sport, and Leisure Studies, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn. Dr. Howley has 35 years of experience teaching and conducting research in exercise physiology and fitness. He is a past president of the ACSM and currently serves as editor-in-chief of the ACSM Health & Fitness Journal and as a member of the Science Board of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Dr. Howley is an expert in metabolism and energy expenditure, fitness guidelines, and fitness assessment. He recently helped to develop the East Tennessee 2-Step Healthy Weight Initiative, a collaboration between the University of Tennessee, the Knox County Health Department and the East Tennessee Regional Health Office.

Wendy Kohrt, Ph.D., professor of medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colo. Dr. Kohrt has conducted clinical intervention studies toward understanding the health benefits of physical activity in older people for more than 20 years. Her research focuses on reducing risk for chronic diseases and conditions like osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, abdominal obesity, and physical disability. She chaired the writing committee for the 2004 ACSM Position Stand on Physical Activity and Bone Health. Dr. Kohrt established the Investigations in Metabolism, Aging, Gender, and Exercise research group at the University of Colorado, which has the goal to be a national leader in aging research focused on the prevention of disease and the maintenance of functional independence in old age.

William Kraus, M.D., professor, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, N.C. Dr. Kraus is an attending cardiologist and researcher at Duke University Medical Center and serves as Medical Director for Cardiac Rehabilitation and Director for Clinical Research at the Duke University Center for Living. Dr. Kraus was the principal investigator on Studies of Targeted Risk Reduction Interventions through Defined Exercise, one of the first large, randomized, controlled trials to investigate the effects of different amounts and intensities of exercise on cardiovascular disease risk factors. He is currently leading another trial to examine the effects of resistance training alone, aerobic training alone and both together on cardiovascular disease risk factors. He is the vice chair of the Physical Activity Committee of the AHA Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism.

I-Min Lee, M.D., Sc.D., associate professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School and Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Mass. Dr. Lee provides expertise in the epidemiology of chronic diseases related to physical activity. Her research focuses on the role of physical activity in preventing disease, promoting health and well-being, and enhancing longevity. Dr. Lee has investigated the association of physical activity with risks of several chronic diseases, mechanisms through which physical activity reduces risk of cardiovascular disease, epidemiological methods for studies of physical activity and health, and public health questions of how much physical activity is required for health. She contributed to Physical Activity and Health: a Report of the U.S. Surgeon General, and served on the expert panel of the NIH Consensus Development Conference on Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health.

Anne McTiernan, M.D., Ph.D., director, Prevention Center, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Wash. Dr. McTiernan is an expert on the association of physical activity and cancer risk, and the effect of exercise on biological precursors of cancer and other diseases. She is principal investigator of a National Cancer Institute-funded center that focuses on the mechanisms linking energy balance, physical activity, and obesity with cancer risk and prognosis, and has led several other studies assessing the effect of physical activity on cancer and obesity. She served on several advisory and guidelines committees, including the American Cancer Society Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee, Nutrition and Physical Activity for Cancer Survivors, Guidelines on Nutrition and Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention, and the ACSM Specialty Certification for Cancer Survivors. She was editor of the 2005 volume Cancer Prevention and Management Through Exercise and Weight Control, the first text to cover the role of physical activity and weight on cancer incidence and rehabilitation.

Miriam Nelson, Ph.D., director, John Hancock Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, Mass., has been appointed as vice-chair of the committee. Dr. Nelson is an expert in the relationship of physical activity to health in midlife and older populations, with an emphasis on women. She has directed and collaborated on studies examining the effects of strength training, endurance exercise, and balance training on reducing risks and symptoms of chronic disease and functional decline. Outcomes studied include bone health, arthritis, frailty, type 2 diabetes, and muscle loss. Dr. Nelson also has a strong educational and research background in nutrition, which will contribute to consideration of chronic diseases and conditions that are influenced by physical activity and nutrition.

Russell Pate, Ph.D., associate vice president for health sciences, Office of Research and Health Sciences and Professor, Department of Exercise Science, University of South Carolina, Columbia, S.C. Dr. Pate is an expert on the overall health implications of physical activity and youth physical activity. He has published over 170 scholarly papers and authored or edited five books. Dr. Pate coordinated the effort that led to the CDC/ACSM recommendations on Physical Activity and Public Health in 1995. He served on an Institute of Medicine panel to develop guidelines on the prevention of childhood obesity and on the 2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. He is a former member of the Science Board of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports and a former president of ACSM. He has held leadership positions with the National Coalition on Promoting Physical Activity, the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education, and the American Heart Association. Dr. Pate ran three U.S. Olympic Trials marathons and twice finished in the top ten in the Boston Marathon.

Kenneth Powell, M.D., M.P.H., public health and epidemiologic consultant, Atlanta, Ga. Dr. Powell is an expert on adverse events and injury risk and protection related to physical activity. He has been working in physical activity and public health with the CDC and Georgia state health department for more than 20 years. From 1999-2005, He was Chief of the Chronic Disease, Injury, and Environmental Epidemiology Section in the Georgia Division of Public Health. He planned, chaired and edited the papers from the first national workshop on the epidemiologic and public health aspects of physical activity and exercise in 1985. He authored over 50 scientific articles on physical activity, with many addressing injury prevention and risk of injury due to physical activity. Dr. Powell is a member of the Coordinating Team on Physical Activity for the Task Force on Community Preventive Services, Guide to Community Preventive Services.

Judith Regensteiner, Ph.D., professor, Department of Medicine, Section of Vascular Medicine, Divisions of General Internal Medicine and Cardiology, and director, Center for Women's Health Research, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colo. Dr. Regensteiner is an expert in metabolic health considerations of diabetes and peripheral arterial disease. Her research focuses on the role of exercise and physical activity in preventing and treating diabetes. She also has an international reputation for research on the role of exercise training in preventing and treating peripheral arterial disease. In addition to research on older individuals, she has recently been studying exercise in adolescents with type 2 diabetes. She has received funding for completed and ongoing studies to assess exercise capacity, the effects of exercise training, and gender differences on cardiovascular function and peripheral arterial disease in persons with type 2 diabetes. She has authored over 100 scientific articles and presented over 60 invited lectures.

James Rimmer, Ph.D., professor and director, National Center on Physical Activity and Disability, Department of Disability and Human Development, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Ill. Dr. Rimmer has been developing and directing physical activity and health promotion programs for people with disabilities for 26 years. He has published over 85 manuscripts and book chapters and given over 100 invited presentations to national and international audiences on topics related to physical activity, health promotion, secondary conditions and disability. He directs two centers related to physical activity and disability, one funded by CDC and the other funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. Dr. Rimmer was recently asked to serve as one of 15 experts on a National Academy of Sciences Aging and Longevity Initiative to represent people with disabilities.

Antronette Yancey, M.D., M.P.H., professor, Department of Health Services, University of California, Los Angeles School of Public Health, Los Angeles, Calif. Dr. Yancey co-directs the UCLA School of Public Health Center to Eliminate Health Disparities. She served as Director of Public Health for Richmond, Virginia from 1996-98 and was the inaugural director of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion in Los Angeles. In Los Angeles, Dr. Yancey created one of the first physical activity programs in a local health department. She specializes in the design, implementation and evaluation of community-based health promotion interventions, focusing on high risk, underserved communities and on prevention especially through physical activity. She has published extensively on changing social and cultural environments to promote physical activity; requirements for successful intervention research; and ways to recruit minority participants in chronic disease prevention trials and interventions.

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Weight loss results in a reduction of both fat and muscle

(HealthDay News) -- Older, overweight women who diet do not experience
reduced physical function and should feel free to try to lose weight by
reducing their calorie intake, U.S. research shows.

"Our results suggest that losing weight through calorie cutting won't lead
to increased disability in older women," lead researcher Dr. Jamehl Demons
of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, said in a prepared
statement.

When older, overweight women diet they may often gain back some of the
weight. But they are still better off than before, noted Dr. Mary F. Lyles,
also at Wake Forest and the lead investigator of a second project that
examined how dieting affects body composition.

The findings of the two projects -- both part of the larger Diet, Exercise
and Metabolism in Older Women (DEMO) study -- were to be presented Friday at
the annual meeting of the American Geriatrics Society in Seattle.

Weight loss results in a reduction of both fat and muscle, and people
naturally lose muscle mass and physical function as they age. This has led
to questions about the safety of older adults dieting in order to lose
weight.

Demons' project looked at 23 obese, postmenopausal women, average age 58,
who were put on a calorie-reduced diet for five months. They lost an average
of 25 pounds, with muscle representing about 35 percent of that weight loss.

"Despite the large amount of muscle loss, their aerobic fitness and their
ability to rise from a chair showed a trend toward improvement," said
Demons, an assistant professor of internal medicine-gerontology.
Furthermore, "Their strength and walking speed did not change. This suggests
that their weight loss through dieting wouldn't be expected to lead to
increased disability," the researcher said.

Lyles' project looked at body composition before and after 30 women were on
a five-month calorie-reduced diet. During that time, the women lost an
average of 25 pounds (about 68 percent fat and 32 percent muscle). A year
later, the women had regained an average of 11 pounds (about 73 percent fat
and 27 percent muscle).

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People who consistently engage in high levels of exercise are the most successful at losing weight and keeping it off

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- People who consistently engage in high levels of
exercise over the long haul are the most successful at losing weight and
keeping it off, a new study shows.

Among a group of overweight men and women participating in an 18-month
weight loss program, those who were still getting 75 minutes of exercise
daily a year after the program ended had lost 26 pounds, compared with 1.8
pounds for people who were exercising less.

But only 13 of the 154 people who completed the study were able to sustain
this level of activity, Dr. Deborah F. Tate of the University of North
Carolina in Chapel Hill and her colleagues found. "Strategies are needed to
help participants maintain high levels of activity over the long-term," she
and her colleagues conclude in a report in the American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition.

The researchers initially assigned 202 people to either a high physical
activity group who aimed to burn 2,500 calories per week (equivalent to a
75-minute walk daily) or standard behavioral treatment, including 30 minutes
of exercise daily, equivalent to 1,000 calories per week.

Twelve and 18 months later, people in the high activity group had lost
significantly more weight than those in the lower activity group.

Although the participants in the high activity group were able to sustain
the 2,500 calorie per week exercise goal during the 18-month study, their
activity level declined once treatment ended, which resulted in no
between-group differences in activity or weight loss at 2.5 years.

However, a small subgroup of people who stuck to the 2,500 calorie per week
exercise regimen after the 18-month treatment period ended maintained a
significantly larger weight loss than those who didn't exercise as much.

People who maintained high levels of exercise were also eating fewer
calories and less fat.

The researchers believe that their e-mails, mailings and phone calls to
study participants for the initial 18 months of the study were successful in
helping them to reach exercise goals; continuing to stay in touch may have
helped them sustain this level of activity.

"It is also possible that sustaining the long-term behavior changes that are
needed for behaviors such as physical activity will require changes in the
larger social and environmental context in which these behaviors occur,

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