HomeSport and Exercise Medicine
Sport and Exercise Medicine
Novel saliva test accurately diagnoses concussion — SCRUM study
A University of Birmingham-led study of top-flight UK rugby players – carried out in collaboration with the Rugby Football Union (RFU), Premiership Rugby, and...
Skiers have 50% lower incidence of depression and vascular dementia – but not Alzheimer's
Half as many skiers have been diagnosed with depression, a delayed manifestation of Parkinson's, a reduced risk of developing vascular dementia – but not...
Increased exercise helps prevent heart disease and stroke in the elderly
People over the age of 60 should do more exercise not less in order to prevent heart disease and stroke, according to findings from...
Regular exercise reduces hip fracture risk in post-menopausal women
Regular physical activity, including lighter intensity activities such as walking, is associated with reduced risk of hip and total fracture in post-menopausal women, according...
Running as little as 50 minutes a week significantly lowers death risk
An Australian research review, tracking over 232,000 people for up to 35 years, found that running for as little as 50 minutes a...
Doubled fat burn by exercising before breakfast
According to a small study, health scientists at the Universities of Bath and Birmingham found that by changing the timing of when you eat...
Semenya row: Study shows testosterone boosts female athletic performance
In a robust new study with dire implications for trans athletes like SA's Caster Semenya, researchers at the Karolinska Institutet and the Swedish School...
It's never too late to start exercising to build muscle mass
Older people who have never taken part in sustained exercise programmes have the same ability to build muscle mass as highly trained master athletes...
Concussions linked to erectile dysfunction in former football players
Former professional football players who experienced concussion symptoms, including loss of consciousness, disorientation or nausea after a head injury, are more likely to report...
Any and all physical activity is beneficial for longevity
Clear evidence that higher levels of physical activity – regardless of intensity – are associated with a lower risk of early death in middle...
Resistance training vital for older adults
For many older adults, resistance training may not be part of their daily routine, but a new position statement suggests it is vital to...
Home exercise regimen matches UK guidelines in less time
A small study shows that a home-based high-intensity interval training can deliver the same health benefits in three 20-minute sessions as achieved from the...
Master athletes demonstrate what is physically possible in later life
A growing band of of "master athletes" demonstrate that "we often confuse the effects of inactivity with the ageing process itself", write Stephen Harridge and Norman...
Study tests the goal of 10,000 daily steps to reduce mortality risk
The goal of 10, 000 daily steps is widely believed to be necessary for health, but this number has limited scientific basis. A large, four-year...
Physical exercise: A ‘fundamental’ psychiatric intervention
When it comes to inpatient treatment of a range of mental health and mood disorders – from anxiety and depression to schizophrenia, suicidality and...
US footballers have higher mortality risk than baseball players
Professional US football players appear to have a somewhat elevated risk of death, including higher risk of succumbing to cardiac and neuro-degenerative diseases, compared...
Loss of heart function in type 2 diabetes reduced by high-intensity exercise
University of Otago researchers have discovered that high-intensity exercise can reduce or reverse the loss in heart function caused by type 2 diabetes. The...
Training for a first marathon reverses vascular ageing
Novice marathoners experienced a four-year reduction in arterial age and a 4 mmHg drop in systolic blood pressure.s, found a study on London Marathon participants. Older...
IAAF decision on testosterone 'a victory for female athletes everywhere'
There has been widespread condemnation of the International Association of Athletics FederationS ordering the control of natural testosterone levels in female athletes in some...
Exercise, more than diet, keeps that weight off
Successful weight-loss maintainers rely on physical activity to remain in energy balance (rather than chronic restriction of dietary intake) to avoid weight regain over...
It's never too late to start exercising — large US study
It's truly never too late to begin exercising, research shows. Medical Xpress reports that a major study has found that even for people who...
Is interval training the magic bullet for fat loss? — Systematic review
Interval training may shed almost 30% more kilos than a continuous moderate intensity workout, suggests an international pooled analysis of the available evidence in...
Body-building protein supplement has potential for brain harm
People taking the protein supplement L-norvaline - an ingredient widely used in body building supplements and promoted as a compound that can boost workouts...
Neck-strengthening exercises to mitigate concussion risk
Researchers have proposed a way to mitigate risk for football and soccer players and others at risk of concussion: Protect your head with neck-strengthening...
Any physical activity cuts mortality risk
A study of around 8,000 middle-aged and older adults found that swapping a half-hour of sitting around with physical activity of any intensity or...
Exercise may lower BP as much as medication – review of 400 trials
Exercise could be just as effective in lowering high blood pressure as prescribed medication, according to a review of 400 trials.
Researchers pooled data from...
Ice Maidens show women can be as physically resilient as men
Women who underwent extreme physical training and completed a trans-Antarctic expedition did not show any more negative health effects than would be expected in...
Barefoot SA children have better balance but may suffer later
South African children – who usually do not wear shoes during physical activity – have better balance and can jump farther than their German...
Vigorous exercise decreases type 2 diabetes and CVD risk in children
Physical exercise can reduce the risk factors of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease even in children, a two-year followup study from the University...
Bursts of high-intensity exercise improve mitochondrial function
A few minutes of high-intensity interval or sprinting exercise may be as effective as much longer exercise sessions in spurring beneficial improvements in mitochondrial...
Hole in one for consensus statement on golf and health
A systematic review of 342 eligible studies as well as an international working group of experts in public health and health police, had led...
Lifetime abuse experience link to injury risk in top athletes
Active top-flight athletes who have experienced sexual or physical abuse at some time in their life run a greater risk of sports-related injury. A...
Cardio versus strength training — Copenhagen study
When it comes to the world of exercise, no debate is as contentious as cardio vs strength training. The Independent reports that while some...
Antioxidants don't reduce muscle soreness after exercise
Consuming extra antioxidants through foods or supplements may not reduce muscle soreness after exercise, s a research review of 50 studies suggests.
Reuters Health reports...
Cardiac death rates in young footballers higher than previously thought
Young footballers are dying from heart problems at a higher rate than was previously thought, according to doctors who oversee the cardiac screening programme...
Ageing, overweight scuba divers face increased cardiac death risk
Cardiac events are now the second leading cause of death, behind drowning,for scuba divers, with a large survey finding cholesterol, hypertension, body mass index,...
High performance athletes should avoid ketogenic diets
Athletes who turn to ketogenic diets to help their performance in high-intensity, short duration sports may want to think again, according to research from...
Life-long exercise regime slows manifestations of ageing
Researchers at the University of Birmingham and King's College London have found that staying active slows the physical manifestations of ageing.
The researchers set out...
Just a few minutes of light intensity exercise linked to lower death risk in older men
Clocking up just a few minutes at a time of any level of physical activity, to tally 150 minutes a week, is linked to...
Heat stroke victims should first be cooled on site
Athletes who suffer life-threatening heat stroke should be cooled on site before they are taken to the hospital, according to an expert panel's report....