Two recent studies show the impact that walking speed can have on people’s health. A French study in the British Medical Journal (tracking 3,000+ older people for five years) found that people with the slowest walking speed had a significantly increased risk of death compared to those who walked the fastest—including a threefold increased rate of cardiovascular death. A new clinical trial from the University…
A new study (on mice) by UC Riverside found that eating too much sugar and fat in childhood can alter microbiomes for life, even if you eat healthier later in life. An early-life Western diet led to a significant decrease in the total number and diversity of gut bacteria, and while regular exercise positively impacted gut bacteria, a bad early-life diet had more long-lasting effects…
An interesting new study from Brown University dispels any myth that positive outcomes from mindfulness-based meditation come exclusively from the practice because the more active ingredient seems to be the social factor of the instructor and the group. It’s one of the first studies to look at the role of relationships in meditation programs, and the person-to-person factors led to a more positive impact on…
A new study from the University of Graz (Austria) found a direct link between everyday physical activity (simple walking or moderate exercise) and greater creativity and inventiveness. The researchers found that active people came up with significantly more—and more innovative—ideas during tests (whether conceiving of new usages for an umbrella or finishing partial drawings) than sedentary people. ACCESS STUDY
Exercise is just as effective as mindfulness at reducing people’s stress and anxiety, a Cambridge study found. The scientists reviewed 136 randomized control trials with 11,000 adult participants from 29 countries. In most cases, mindfulness did positively impact anxiety, stress and depression, but there was no evidence it works better than exercise. ACCESS STUDY
An important new study from global researchers, relying on movement tracking data from tens of thousands of people worldwide, found that people that were the most sedentary were significantly more likely to die young. The good news: It doesn’t take a whole lot of movement to counteract that threat. Just 11 minutes of brisk walking or other mild exercise each day (even for the group…
