https://medicalxpress.com/sports-medicine-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Sports medicine Researchers have worked out how girls' sweating patterns change as they grow, establishing that the age of 14 is a critical turning point. Their findings can inform better sportswear designs for teenagers, and be used to encourage more teenage girls to take part in sport. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-patterns-girls-older.html Thu, 21 May 2026 12:00:16 EDT news698582582 Teenagers who see exercise as fun, social and good for their health are significantly fitter by late adolescence than those driven by competition, pressure or fear of judgment, new research led by Flinders University shows. Tracking more than 1,000 young people from age 14 to 17, researchers found early attitudes to physical activity strongly predict measurable aerobic fitness three years later. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-teen-attitudes-years.html Thu, 21 May 2026 10:40:06 EDT news698577421 A new study by researchers in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR) has demonstrated that a standard heat tolerance test does not work equally well to measure tolerance in males and females. This research was published in Physiological Reports. This work was led by Jacob Bowie, Ph.D., a UConn postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Elaine Choung-Hee Lee, Ph.D., professor of kinesiology, and in collaboration with Douglas Casa, Ph.D., Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Kinesiology and CEO of the Korey Stringer Institute. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-tolerance-account-sex-differences.html Thu, 21 May 2026 10:01:43 EDT news698575922 Creatine, one of the most popular supplements among gym-goers and athletes, does not appear to have the anti-inflammatory effect that many imagine. This conclusion comes from a systematic review and meta-analysis conducted in Brazil by researchers at São Paulo State University (UNESP), which evaluated clinical trials in humans. The study indicates that, to date, there is no consistent evidence that creatine reduces inflammatory markers in the body. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-creatine-physical-necessarily-inflammation.html Mon, 18 May 2026 19:40:03 EDT news698343182 A new study shows that gambling is common among Swedish junior elite soccer players, including underage players. The prevalence of gambling problems is considerably higher than in the general population, while awareness of clubs' gambling policies is low. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-high-prevalence-gambling-problems-young.html Mon, 18 May 2026 12:00:51 EDT news698324401 As worsening air quality and wildfire events increasingly impact communities worldwide, a study recognized by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) as a 2025 Paper of the Year is drawing attention to a growing but often overlooked threat to athletes and active individuals: the impact of air pollution on performance, health, and safety. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-air-pollution-athletic-health.html Sat, 16 May 2026 09:30:01 EDT news697890507 Legendary 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus once stated golf was "90% mental and 10% physical." That's because, unlike most other ball sports, a golfer spends most of the time thinking about their game instead of actually playing it: the contact time a player has with the ball is minuscule compared to the time spent planning the next shot, or frustratedly replaying a previous wonky hit. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-yips-sport.html Sat, 16 May 2026 05:40:01 EDT news697972255 A supplement widely promoted for athletic performance may interfere with some of the heart's beneficial adaptations to exercise, according to new Dalhousie University research published in Scientific Reports. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-popular-workout-supplement-blunt-heart.html Fri, 15 May 2026 13:00:01 EDT news698064661 Sebastian Sawe ripped open a carbohydrate gel sachet and slurped it five minutes before the start of the 2026 London Marathon. Sixty minutes later, he inhaled another one before smashing through the two-hour marathon barrier. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-energy-gels-runners.html Fri, 15 May 2026 09:01:38 EDT news698054461 New research from orthopedic specialists at Marshall Health Network and the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine demonstrates promising outcomes for patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction using an advanced technique that combines biologic augmentation with internal stabilization. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-acl-surgery-approach-patients.html Thu, 14 May 2026 16:20:01 EDT news697992908 Serious knee injuries, including anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures in women's and girls' football, can be reduced through using injury prevention training, according to a new study by La Trobe University researchers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-injury.html Thu, 14 May 2026 08:39:02 EDT news697966682 Children benefit in both body and mind when they participate in after-school sports, a new study says. Kids in after-school sports show measurable advantages in brainpower, mental health and physical fitness, researchers reported in the journal Exercise, Sports and Movement. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-school-sports-boon-children-teens.html Tue, 12 May 2026 21:20:01 EDT news697793786 A recent study conducted at the University of Jyväskylä investigated the emotions evoked by physical activity and what motivates people across different weight groups to exercise. The study found that individuals with obesity experience fewer pleasant emotions during exercise compared with those of normal weight. The researcher recommends that pleasure and enjoyment should be considered in exercise counseling aimed at weight management. The findings are published in the journal Obesity Science & Practice. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-enjoyment-gap-obesity.html Tue, 12 May 2026 19:40:01 EDT news697817985 While some people can spring out of bed at six in the morning and go straight into their day, others prefer to wake up later as they're most productive in the afternoon or evening. This difference is due to your chronotype—the biological tendency to prefer certain times of day for sleep, waking and activity. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-wrong-body-clock-affect-workouts.html Tue, 12 May 2026 14:40:03 EDT news697809902 A research team from the School of Public Health at the LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed), has found that brisk interval walking performed once a week can significantly improve body fat reduction and cardiorespiratory fitness in adults with central obesity, comparable to exercising three times a week—the traditional recommendation for exercise frequency. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-weekly-brisk-interval-rivals-thrice.html Tue, 12 May 2026 12:40:02 EDT news697807861 If you've ever watched a game of Australian rules football, rugby league or basketball, you've probably seen it happen: a player lands awkwardly, grabs their knee, and doesn't get back up. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-australia-world-highest-acl-reconstruction.html Sun, 10 May 2026 17:00:01 EDT news697454954 Non-concussive head impacts—hits to the head that don't cause clinically detectable symptoms—are correlated with subsequent changes to the gut microbiome in a small sample of US collegiate football players, according to a study published in PLOS One by Ahmet Ay and Kenneth Douglas Belanger of Colgate University, U.S., and colleagues. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-impacts-gut-microbiome-football-players.html Sat, 09 May 2026 08:00:02 EDT news697300189 It's tough to avoid the current hype about the health benefits of injecting peptides. Although these substances—essentially, synthetic bits of protein in solution—have long made the rounds in the fitness world, their popularity has exploded. Social media influencers, podcasters, wellness clinics and online sellers promote peptides as a quick and easy way to build muscle faster, heal injuries more quickly, reduce inflammation, lose fat, sleep better and more. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-peptide-people-recover-injuries.html Thu, 07 May 2026 12:20:02 EDT news697374061 Researchers at Mass General Brigham have found that although advanced footwear technology (AFT), commonly known as "super shoes," may improve performance in elite runners, they also cause subtle changes in running mechanics linked to bone stress injuries. The findings are published in PM&R. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-super-contribute-injury.html Tue, 05 May 2026 14:40:05 EDT news697204802 Endothelial dysfunction is a hallmark of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and plays a central role in vascular inflammation, thrombosis, and impaired vasodilation. A study led by researchers from Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH) and the Alicante Institute for Health and Biomedical Research (ISABIAL) identifies high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) as the most robust and evidence-based strategy to improve endothelial function in patients with CVD. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-high-intensity-interval-strongest-vascular.html Mon, 04 May 2026 04:00:04 EDT news696093842 Creatine, a compound often associated with gym-goers and athletes, has long been touted as a performance-enhancing supplement. But beyond the hype, what does science actually reveal about its effects on the body and mind? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-creatine-benefit-body-mind-potential.html Sun, 03 May 2026 19:10:02 EDT news696843542 After breast cancer surgery, many women are told to limit how much—and how soon—they exercise. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-high-intensity-breast-cancer-surgery.html Fri, 01 May 2026 13:00:02 EDT news696858721 A new study is raising questions about whether human endurance has biological limits shaped long before adulthood—possibly beginning at birth. Researchers are examining whether birth weight, a known risk factor for disease later in life, may also influence how the body responds to extreme endurance exercise. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-limit-surfaces-birth.html Thu, 30 Apr 2026 19:20:04 EDT news696781531 A study conducted on an animal model by researchers at the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) in Brazil demonstrated that swimming is more effective than running in promoting healthy heart growth and improving the strength with which the heart muscle (myocardium) contracts. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-heart.html Wed, 29 Apr 2026 15:20:05 EDT news696692401 Most people know omega-3 fish oils are good for health—especially heart health. But what many people might not realize is that these friendly fats can also be beneficial to your workouts. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-omega3s-vital-daily-workouts.html Wed, 29 Apr 2026 14:40:01 EDT news696685202 Patterns of molecular activity in the blood may hold clues not only to how fit someone is, but also to the biological processes that support physical performance. Researchers at MIT, GE HealthCare, and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point have developed a computational model that links thousands of these molecular signals to fitness levels, revealing pathways that could inform future studies to improve fitness training and speed injury or disease recovery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-cellular-pathways-underlie-differences-physical.html Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:20:05 EDT news696606241 If it feels like everyone around you (physically and digitally) has taken up an affair with running in the past few years, you're not imagining it. Since 2023, running has been the most uploaded activity on the exercise app Strava, according to their annual Year in Sport reports from 2023, 2024 and 2025. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-hurdles-hobby-climate-runfluencer-culture.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:40:03 EDT news696507062 On May 6, 1954, Sir Roger Bannister did what was deemed impossible in athletics: he ran a mile in less than four minutes. The milestone was celebrated worldwide, not just by athletics fans. It was considered at the time to be a similar achievement to scaling Mount Everest for the first time, which Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay had done the year before. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-men-marathon-barrier-thought-unbreakable.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:00:09 EDT news696505844 Runners adding a brain priming exercise to a warmup could hit a new personal best, after University of Birmingham academics showed a 3% improvement in test conditions. In a paper published in the European Journal of Sport Science, a team from the University of Birmingham in UK and Extremadura University in Spain worked with runners who took part in a series of one-mile time trials. The team found that runners completed the course between 2–3% quicker by completing a series of brief cognitive tasks alongside a physical warmup compared to only doing a traditional warmup alone. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-pre-warmup-brain-priming-personal.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:20:03 EDT news696504295 Drinking alcohol the night before physical labor or exercising in the heat causes inflammation in the body to rise and may increase the risk of heat-related illness. Researchers will present their findings at the 2026 American Physiology Summit in Minneapolis (APS 2026). The abstract is titled "Previous Night Alcohol Consumption Alters the Cytokine Response to Prolonged Physical Work in the Heat." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-hungover-risky-inflammation-temporarily-illness.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 10:00:01 EDT news696496802