Exercise Is Fast, Effective Against Depression...and other health news

from runnersworld.com

Exercise Is Fast, Effective Against Depression

When college students facing a major depressive episode were told to begin exercise walking, they found relief in just 10 days compared to a similar group told to do stretching and relaxation exercises. The proportion of walkers recording a significant decline in depression was 65 percent vs 22 percent for the relaxers.The authors concluded: "Endurance exercise may help to achieve substantial improvement in the mood of selected patients with major depression in a short time."

More, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Regular, Moderate Exercise Reduces Colds

We've always know this, thanks to the pioneering research of serious marathoner/immunity researcher David Nieman, Ph.D. But the people behind this new study are claiming it's the first big, serious one in the field, and we won't argue, because we like the results. When a group of overweight, post-menopausal women were asked to walk or bike 45 minutes a day for 5 days, they enjoyed a modest decrease in number of colds they caught vs a similar group of women who simply did one 45-minute stretching routine per week. The biggest differences were latest in the research, after a year, when the stretching women caught 3x as many colds as the exercisers.

More, news.yahoo.com

New Obesity Pill Appears To Have Added Benefits

The new weight loss pill, Acomplia, not yet available in the U.S., but expected soon, appears to have several important metabolic effects. A new study shows that Acomplia (rimonabant) can reduce risk factors for heart disease and diabetes, while helping patients lose weight. From: The Lancet. Also, a cautiously optimistic review of rimonabant's weight loss potential by a group of authors who estimate it could promote loss of 5 percent of body weight, though the study results have some methodological problems.

More, news.yahoo.com: www.hubmed.org

Runners Who Fall (not while running) Recover Balance Better
We know lots of runners who get injured from falling, on trails, over sidewalk cracks, etc. But here's a new take. This research shows that older, experienced runners who are induced to fall seem to recover their balance better (and presumably suffer from less serious injuries) than similar subjects who aren't runners.

More, www.hubmed.org

Eat More, Weigh Less

We've reported this research before, but now Yahoo nutritionist Cheryl Koch is pairing it with some good, practical suggestions. So take a look. She advises eating more fruit and veggies (of course), but also has ideas on how to satisfy that sweet tooth.

More, health.yahoo.com

Genes Help Some Deal Better With Pain

We do't know if this discovery explains in any small way why some runners are more successful than others, but it appears that pain tolerance has a genetic foundation, at least in part. About 25 percent of us are lucky enough to have a genetically determined molecule called BH4 that effects how intensely we feel, or don't feel, pain.

More, news.yahoo.com