https://medicalxpress.com/fitness-news/ en-us Latest health news and information about Fitness & Physical Activity For people with Parkinson's disease, higher levels of physical activity were associated with slower declines in thinking and memory as well as slower worsening of movement symptoms, according to a new study published in Neurology. The study does not prove that more physical activity causes slower progression of the disease; it only shows an association between the two. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-greater-physical-slower-parkinson.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 16:00:08 EDT news710592542 Medicine and surgery are not the answer for overweight children, the World Health Organization said Thursday. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-obesity-drugs-surgery-10s.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 06:38:41 EDT news710573849 Chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis and certain types of cancer are leading causes of disability and death worldwide. Traditionally, these conditions have been managed through medication, dietary changes and medical interventions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-medicine-physical-chronic-disease.html Tue, 06 Oct 2026 15:20:12 EDT news710516102 Regular walking reduces symptom flare-ups for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, even if they live in an area with poor air quality, according to a study published in ERJ Open Research. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-regular-good-people-copd-areas.html Mon, 05 Oct 2026 16:00:10 EDT news710429941 The school bell may signal the end of lessons, but for more than half a million Australian children each week, it doesn't mean the end of opportunities to be active. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-school-hours-kids-stay-screens.html Mon, 05 Oct 2026 13:40:06 EDT news710422501 Pulling an all-nighter before a test or assignment deadline is almost a teenage rite of passage, but scientists are concerned that these exceptions are becoming a regular habit. Insomnia symptoms during adolescence are linked to a range of adverse health and developmental outcomes. Studies have found that physical activity can be a good antidote to sleep issues, but can it help ease adolescent insomnia? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-teens-problems-line-reveals.html Fri, 02 Oct 2026 15:20:18 EDT news710156566 Taking out the trash is a chore that even our cells cannot escape. Through a process known as autophagy, they place misshapen proteins and other cellular garbage in biological containers to digest them into their molecular building blocks. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-cellular-recycling-age.html Fri, 02 Oct 2026 10:00:07 EDT news710152020 One minute you're reaching for an item on a shelf, picking up a child or simply getting out of bed. The next, a sudden stab of pain in your lower back leaves you wondering what just happened. Many people call it "throwing out" their back. The phrase generally describes low back pain that starts suddenly, says Dr. Min Yoo, a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist at Mayo Clinic in Arizona who has subspecialty training in pain medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-sudden-pain-expert.html Fri, 02 Oct 2026 08:00:06 EDT news710133841 New research presented at the Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy (Sept 28 – Oct 2) and appearing in The Lancet Regional Health Americas journal shows that in people who have developed early-onset type 2 diabetes (EOT2D) (aged under 45 years), around half these T2D cases can be reversed with a low-energy diet combined with a structured exercise program. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-calorie-diet-early-onset-diabetes.html Fri, 02 Oct 2026 05:40:01 EDT news710087822 Exercise benefits nearly every part of the body, including the liver and metabolism. But new research from the University of Missouri School of Medicine suggests those benefits may not look the same in males and females. The findings are published in the journal Cell Reports. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-rewires-liver-metabolism-differently-based.html Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:40:05 EDT news710079062 Every extra walk to school, casual soccer game in the park or trip to the store could be doing more for teenage mental health than first thought, according to new research tracking thousands of adolescents in the U.S. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-higher-daily-linked-mental-health.html Thu, 01 Oct 2026 13:40:11 EDT news710078461 Fitter kids are less likely to develop depression as adults, according to research led by the University of Tasmania's Menzies Institute for Medical Research in collaboration with Adelaide University. Using data from the Childhood Determinants of Adult Health study, spanning more than 30 years, researchers found children and adolescents with better cardiorespiratory fitness had a lower risk of developing depression in adulthood. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-childhood-linked-adult-depression.html Thu, 01 Oct 2026 09:40:11 EDT news710064122 Children ages 3 and 4 take a median of 18,542 steps a day, but their daily step counts vary widely, according to the first international reference values for daily step counts in preschool-age children, published in the journal The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-preschoolers-day.html Wed, 30 Sep 2026 11:20:31 EDT news709980242 Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) approach that uses data from wearable devices to forecast upcoming periods of prolonged sitting in women with chronic pelvic pain disorders. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-wearable-ai-prolonged-women-chronic.html Wed, 30 Sep 2026 05:00:06 EDT news709901402 "Exercise is medicine" is a commonly quoted phrase. But as is so often the case with medications, more is not always better. What counts as too much exercise, and how can it affect the heart? Does running a marathon or competing in an Ironman triathlon boost your health, or might it do the opposite? The development of the Micro-Athlete mini-heart (a heart-on-a-chip that mimics the human heart) is giving researchers valuable new insights into cardiovascular disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-good-mini-heart-uncovering.html Tue, 29 Sep 2026 21:00:01 EDT news709902467 One in three breast cancer survivors will experience cognitive problems, which can include difficulties with attention, memory, processing speed and other aspects of thinking. Researchers believe these problems can arise from a combination of treatment effects, inflammation, hormonal changes, fatigue and stress. They may persist after treatment and affect everyday activities and quality of life. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-attention-biological-aging-breast-cancer.html Tue, 29 Sep 2026 20:10:01 EDT news709900141 Reductions in blood pressure may be maintained over the short term with just one or two sessions of isometric exercise training a week, research published online in the journal BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine suggests. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-weekly-session-isometric-blood-pressure.html Tue, 29 Sep 2026 18:30:06 EDT news709896242 Researchers at Mass General Brigham have found that moderate-intensity exercise alters circulating extracellular vesicles in ways that promote cartilage health and tissue resilience, identifying microRNA-29 as a key mediator that improved characteristics of aged cartilage cells and reduced signs of joint degeneration. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-medicine-joints-aging-osteoarthritis.html Tue, 29 Sep 2026 18:00:02 EDT news709917361 Globally, about two in three people will need major surgery at some point in their lives. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-surgery-outcomes-shortens-recovery.html Tue, 29 Sep 2026 11:40:01 EDT news709896782 No matter how much young athletes love their sport, they remain vulnerable to mental health and well-being problems if they don't balance the demands of training with education, work, leisure and rest. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-sport-rest-young-athletes-mental.html Tue, 29 Sep 2026 08:20:02 EDT news709883366 Exercise-based rehabilitation and education can reduce the chance of knee osteoarthritis after ACL reconstruction in people under 40, as well as improve pain and quality of life, a study by La Trobe University researchers has found. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-physical-therapy-short-term-knee.html Mon, 28 Sep 2026 17:00:12 EDT news709803884 Whether learning a new piano piece or adapting your tennis serve, acquiring physical skills depends on your brain's ability to strengthen and refine neural connections. Researchers are exploring whether technology can accelerate this process. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-brain-reshape-skills.html Mon, 28 Sep 2026 09:40:04 EDT news709803842 Caffeine is one of the most widely used performance-enhancing supplements in sports. Despite its established benefits, how long they persist and how physiological responses change over that period remain unclear. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-pre-caffeine-sprint-hours.html Mon, 28 Sep 2026 09:40:01 EDT news709807072 Eating a diet low in ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and exercising can cut the risk of type 2 diabetes, even in people with a strong genetic predisposition to the condition, new research suggests. The findings are being presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy, Sept. 28–Oct. 2. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-ultra-foods-physically-diabetes-genetic.html Sat, 26 Sep 2026 18:00:06 EDT news709464064 A study of more than 2.7 million marathon performances found that higher levels of air pollution on race day were associated with significantly slower finishing times, with recreational runners affected more than elite athletes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-higher-pollution-linked-slower-marathon.html Fri, 25 Sep 2026 12:00:01 EDT news709553941 Adults with a history of cancer are less likely to be physically active than those without a cancer history, according to a new study from Washington University in St. Louis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-cancer-survivors-physically.html Fri, 25 Sep 2026 10:20:12 EDT news709549021 If you've ever pushed yourself through a hard workout, you've probably "felt the burn." It's that familiar sensation of pain and exhaustion in the muscles when they almost feel like they're on fire. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-lactic-acid.html Fri, 25 Sep 2026 08:40:01 EDT news709544041 Hiking in Australia is having a moment. In the decade ending in 2024, hiking popularity rose 81%. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-personal-beacons-hiking-safe.html Thu, 24 Sep 2026 16:20:01 EDT news709473542 A recent study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior provides new insight into how women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) adopt and maintain healthy eating and physical activity behaviors. Researchers found that behavior change is a nonlinear process shaped by factors that can support progress or lead to disengagement. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-women-polycystic-ovary-syndrome-complex.html Thu, 24 Sep 2026 16:00:11 EDT news709472036 At least a quarter of Americans have high levels of cholesterol or fatty acids in their blood, a condition called dyslipidemia. Uncontrolled cholesterol levels increase the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, or ASCVD, a group of diseases that result from plaque buildup in blood vessels and prevent blood from flowing smoothly to vital organs. This can lead to a heart attack or stroke. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-cholesterol-personalized-guidelines-tailor-treatment.html Thu, 24 Sep 2026 14:20:01 EDT news709469581