Muscle Strength Genotype Predicts Functional Capacity at Older Age
Throughout the lifespan, maximum hand grip strength reflects general health and vigor and is therefore commonly suggested to be a biomarker of aging. Although aging results in declines in muscle strength, individual strength changes follow a predictable pattern, as shown by strong correlations between measurements carried out decades apart. Family and twin studies have also […]
Understanding Individual Variability in Exercise Response: Key Considerations for Research and Practice
The movement to recognize exercise as medicine has incited interest in personalized exercise prescription while simultaneously exposing weaknesses in the existing exercise science literature. As a field, it is acknowledged that differences in an individual’s phenotype (observed characteristics) and genetic makeup will contribute to a marked variability in response to standardized exercise. However, the assumption that this […]
A Sedentary Lifestyle Is Linked to Functional Decline, But Any Movement Can Help
Technological advancements in the past 60 years have led to an increasingly sedentary lifestyle. Changes in transportation, communication, the workplace and domestic entertainment have fostered environments in occupational, home and social settings that now demand or encourage sedentary behavior throughout most of the day. In recent years, we have become more aware of the negative […]
Loss of Lean Tissue during Weight Loss Increases Weight Regain in the Long Term
Over the last four decades, obesity has become one of the major public health problems in the U.S. Due to its prevalence (>40% of the adult population are obese) there is an increased risk of comorbidities, especially Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Although weight loss is difficult, it is well established that weight loss […]
Capitalizing on Accelerometry to Measure Performance Fatigability in Older Adults
Fatigability is not a new concept in the exercise physiology realm. Researchers have long paired physical activity measures with ratings of perceived exertion or contractions of isolated muscle groups during tasks to quantify self-reported or muscle fatigability. Of late, the term “fatigability” has evolved and is widely used in aging research to represent a whole-body trait of […]
Eccentric Contractions Are Responsible for Muscle Damage and Neuromuscular Fatigue
Many of our functional daily and exercise activities include both concentric (shortening) and eccentric (lengthening) muscle contractions (actions). However, eccentric-only or accentuated eccentric contractions are also commonly performed in resistance exercises. It is well known that exercises consisting of high-intensity and/or a large number of eccentric contractions induce delayed-onset muscle soreness and prolonged decreases in […]
Associations between Physical Health and Brain Health: Uncovering the Brain-Fitness-Adiposity Relationship in Children
Childhood obesity is an epidemic affecting over 340 million youth worldwide, with rates continuing to increase each year. Importantly, childhood obesity does not occur in isolation, as rates of physical inactivity are also increasing, with children and teens being less physically active now than in the past. These areas of public health are incredibly interrelated, […]
Overall Physical Activity or Intensity of Activity: Which Is More Important for Cardiometabolic Health?
Cardiometabolic risk describes a collection of factors known to increase the likelihood of cardiovascular disease. It includes lipid and glucose metabolism as well as adiposity and hypertension. We know that being more physically active is associated with lower cardiometabolic risk. However, it is not clear whether more specific or tailored physical activity guidance can be […]
Resistance Exercise Increases Gastrointestinal Symptoms, Markers of Gut Permeability, and Damage in Resistance-Trained Adults
Gastrointestinal (GI) discomfort can occur as an unfortunate byproduct of physical exercise. While this phenomenon has been thoroughly outlined in endurance athletes, only one study to date has measured and reported increased markers of GI injury following resistance exercise that coincided with decreased nutrient absorption. Grand View Market research estimates the global digestive health market will reach […]
Adolescents with Sport-Related Concussion Recover Faster When They Adhere to an Aerobic Exercise Prescription
Patients with sport-related concussion have traditionally been advised to employ strict physical and cognitive rest until all of their symptoms resolve, i.e., until they become asymptomatic. This “cocoon therapy” was based largely upon animal research showing that early uncontrolled physical activity delayed recovery from simulated concussion. Emerging evidence over the past decade, however, demonstrates that there is […]
