Change in body weight and longevity

Article Abstract:

Individuals who cycle between being overweight and underweight during their lifetime may die sooner than they would if they maintained a steady weight. A total of 11,703 men who graduated from Harvard University between 1916 and 1950 returned a questionnaire on body weight, height, smoking status and physical activity in 1962 or 1966 and again in 1977. The men were followed up until 1988 using death certificates from the Harvard Alumni Office. The lowest death rates occurred in men who maintained a stable weight. Compared to these men, men who lost or gained weight had higher death rates. Death rates from coronary heart disease were also higher in men who had lost or gained weight. However, death rates from cancer were the same in all three groups. Weight loss could be a consequence of illness, which could predispose an individual to die. However, men with cancer, the disease most likely to cause weight loss, had been excluded from the study.

Physiological aspects, Weight gain, Body weight, Longevity

---

Exercise intensity and longevity in men: the Harvard Alumni Health Study

Article Abstract:

Men who engage in greater amounts of vigorous exercise appear to have a lower risk of death than men who engage in lesser amounts of vigorous activity. Researchers surveyed 17,090 men in 1962 or 1966 and followed them until 1988 to study the effect of physical activity on the risk of death. At follow-up, 3,728 men had died. As the number of calories burned during vigorous physical activity per week increased, the death rate decreased. The benefits of caloric expenditure during vigorous activity leveled off at approximately 3,000 calories per week. Nonvigorous physical activity was not associated with the risk of death. Smoking history, body weight, and age did not affect the relationship between physical activity and risk of death.

Patient outcomes, Mortality, Aerobic exercises, Middle aged men

---

Physical activity in women: how much is good enough?

Article Abstract:

Several studies have shown that many women can lose weight and lower their risk of chronic diseases by walking briskly for just 30 minutes a day, five or more days per week. However, this must be combined with a low-calorie, low-fat diet for maximal weight loss. Women who can exercise for more than 30 minutes a day can lose even more weight.

Editorial, Methods, Women, Exercise

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Cancer control and the older person: an overview. Cancer control and the older person: psychosocial issues. Advocacy: necessary to achieve cancer control goals
• Abstracts: Geriatric medicine. Ultralow-dose micronized 17beta-estradiol and bone density and bone metabolism in older women: a randomized controlled trial
• Abstracts: Trends in mortality, morbidity, and risk factor levels for stroke from 1960 through 1990: the Minnesota Heart Survey
• Abstracts: The rewards of quality. Holiday countdown: diary of a busy woman. Out of the darkness
• Abstracts: American women's health care: a patchwork quilt with gaps. Research at the interface of primary and specialty care

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.