Guest guest Posted August 10, 2001 Report Share Posted August 10, 2001 {NON-TEXT REMOVED} > ------------------------------------------------------------ > AOL users: look for your links at the bottom of the page. > ------------------------------------------------------------ > > PROGRAM ADDRESSES SMOKERS' WEIGHT CONCERNS > > Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have found > that directly addressing women smokers' concerns about > weight gain, rather than trying to prevent the weight > gain itself, boosts the participants' chances of suc- > cess. The investigators randomly assigned 219 women > smokers to one of three smoking cessation groups: > standard cessation therapy, in which weight gain was > not explicitly addressed; the standard program plus > weight control advice; or the standard program in > which weight issues were addressed but dieting dis- > couraged. One year after treatment, 21 percent of the > women in the third group had completely quit smoking, > compared to 13 percent of the weight-control group > and 9 percent of the standard group. The women in the > weight-concerns group also gained the least weight: > 5.5 pounds, compared to 11.9 pounds in the weight-con- > trol group and 16.9 pounds in the standard group. Dr. > Perkins, one of the investigators, says that > excessive fear of weight gain may sabotage women > smokers' attempts to quit. > > EVIDENCE MOUNTS AGAINST SECOND-HAND SMOKE > > If reassurance about weight gain isn't enough to > encourage you to quit smoking, consider the findings > of researchers in Osaka, Japan, who have concluded > that just 30 minutes of exposure to second-hand > smoke each day is enough to affect the coronary > circulation of healthy non-smokers. They compared > the effects of passive smoking on 15 male non- > smokers to that of 15 active smokers who had no > symptoms of disease. The subjects' average age was > 27. Before exposure to second-hand smoke, the func- > tion of the coronary arteries, which nourish the > heart muscle, was significantly higher in the non- > smokers than in the smokers. But 30 minutes' ex- > posure to passive smoke markedly reduced coronary > function in the non-smokers. In an editorial > accompanying the study, which appears in the > Journal of the American Medical Association, Drs. > Stanton Glantz and Parmley of the University > of California, San Francisco, write that these find- > ings “add to the evidence that everyone should be > protected from even short-term exposure to the toxins > in second-hand smoke.” > > BRIEF ACTIVITY ENHANCES MOOD > > Doctors have long known that exercise helps relieve > depression. Now a study conducted at Northern Arizona > University suggests that brief daily periods of exer- > cise can lift the mood of healthy young college > students as well. Lead investigator Cheryl J. Hansen > and her colleagues studied 14 female students who > exercised for 10, 20, or 30 minutes once a week, and > compared their changes in mood to that following a > period of just sitting quietly for 30 minutes. The > result: 10 minutes of moderate exercise was enough > to improve overall mood, as well as increase vigor > and decrease fatigue. Longer bouts of exercise had > no further effect on mood. Current recommendations > are for at least 30 minutes of moderate activity per > day, but these can be accomplished in shorter spurts. > These findings should help doctors tailor exercise > recommendations to maximize both physical and psycho- > logical benefits, Hansen says. > > AND MAY PREVENT MENTAL DECLINE > > In older women, physical activity may lower the risk of > mental decline so often associated with aging, say > researchers at the University of California, San > Francisco. Dr. Yaffe and her colleagues studied > nearly 6,000 women aged 65 or more, conducting an > initial, or baseline, examination, and re-examining the > women 6 to 8 years later. They found that women who > reported greater physical activity during the baseline > examination were less likely to have experienced cog- > nitive decline at the follow-up examinations than their > more sedentary counterparts. The more active they were, > the less likely they were to deteriorate. These findings > add to the growing body of evidence that physical > activity helps preserve mental function in the elderly. > The authors suggest that activity may exert its effects > by increasing blood flow in the brain or stimulating > the growth and survival of brain cells. > > AOL Links ************************************************************ > <a href= " http://www.shagmail.com/sub/sub-health.html " >Subscribe</a> > <a href= " http://www.shagmail.com/unsub/health.html " >Unsubscribe</a> > <a href= " http://www.shagmail.com " >FREE Newsletters</a> ____________________________________________________________ > END OF HEALTH TIPS > Copyright 2001 by Pulse Direct, Inc. All rights reserved. > > Copyright 2001 by United Press International. > All rights reserved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.