Latest News and Research Highlights from ACSM
If you're looking for new health and fitness story ideas, here are some highlights from ACSM programs and recently released research in ACSM’s flagship journal, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise®. The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world.
Do individuals differ in feelings of hunger and their appetite hormone responses to exercise?
An bout of strenuous exercise suppresses both feelings of hunger and the hunger hormone ghrelin; it also increases the hormone, peptide YY, which suppresses hunger sensations. Whether there is individual variation in appetite responses to exercise is uncertain. This study examined appetite these responses after two separate bouts of exercise to see if there was consistency within individuals and, further, if there was variation in the responses between individuals. Fifteen healthy physically active men complete two control and two exercise conditions in a randomized order. The investigators found that hunger, ghrelin and peptide YY responses to two bouts of treadmill running were similar within individuals, However, the amount of suppression in hunger and ghrelin responses and the extent to which peptide YY was increased varied widely between individuals. Additional research is needed to determine if these individual differences influence the effectiveness of exercise training for weight control.
For more information, view the abstract or contact the investigator.
Variations in a child's early home environment interact with genetic factors to influence leisure-time physical activity in adulthood.
Individual differences in physical activity are partly due to genes. However, environment may modify these genetic influences. In this study, the investigators evaluated reports of leisure-time physical activity for 3,305 twins at age 24 years; previously, they had measured psychological and social aspects of the twins’ home environments at four intervals between ages 12-17 years. The study aim was to determine whether psychosocial home environment in childhood modifies the genetic influences on leisure time physical activity later in life. The results showed that leisure time physical activity is sensitive to the childhood home environment. A warm and supportive childhood home increased the level of physical activity by the time of young adulthood. Genetic factors had also a stronger influence on physical activity if young adults were from warm and supportive families. The child’s view of home environment was more important than the parents’. If parents create a warm and supportive home, children are more likely to reach their genetic potential for physical activity - even later in life!
For more information, view the abstract or contact the investigator.
Even Moderate-Intensity Exercise May Help Burn Extra Calories for an Entire Day
Previous research has shown that high- but not moderate-intensity exercise increases resting energy expenditure, but little is known about what exactly contributes to this process. In this study, 33 young women were evaluated by before and after 16 weeks of aerobic cycling exercise training. Their energy expenditure during and for twenty-three hours after exercise testing was accurately measured by keeping them in a carefully controlled whole-room calorimeter. The investigators found that energy expenditure is increased for at least twenty-two hours after completion of acute bouts of moderate (50 percent of peak) and high-intensity interval exercise (84 percent of peak); the average increases were +64 kilocalories per day and +103 kilocalories per day, respectively, for the two intensities! Contrary to other studies, caloric intake was adjusted to achieve energy balance. This design difference isolated the exercise effects on energy expenditure and may explain why other studies have not reported increased energy expenditure following moderate-intensity exercise. The researchers also found that increased stimulation of the fight or flight system and repair of muscle damage following exercise were the most likely factors leading to these increases in energy expenditure. Although the increase in energy expenditure the day following high-intensity exercise may be larger, it is important that even moderate-intensity exercise can promote this effect for up to a day after the exercise.
For more information, view the abstract or contact the investigator.
Exercise Alters Gut Microbiota Composition and Function in Lean and Obese Humans
Microbes living in your gut can profoundly impact your health. While dietary intake has a large effect on your gut microbiota, little has been known about the influence of exercise - not until now. In a paper published in the April 2018 issue of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, these investigators have shown for the first time that endurance exercise can impact the gut microbiota in people. They demonstrated that six weeks of endurance training altered the gut microbiota of 32 previously sedentary lean and obese men and women - irrespective of changes in diet. These changes were dependent on obesity status and were largely reversed when the participants subsequently reverted to six weeks of sedentary behavior. Some of the changes associated with the microbes correlated with exercise-induced changes in body composition - thus suggesting that exercise training may promote changes in the gut microbiota might contribute to beneficial changes associated with exercise.
For more information, view the abstract or contact the investigator.
Watch Your Weight: Heavier Retired Athletes at Increased Risk for Chronic Disease
American football players often manipulate body mass and size throughout their careers as means to improve performance. The health impact of this weight gain has not previously been investigated – particularly, to examine possible effects following their retirement. Cardiometabolic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure are largely modifiable lifestyle diseases. In a sport with growing concerns of non-modifiable factors like brain injury, these investigators explored the relationship between change in the Body Mass Index (a weight-to-height index) and change in cardiometabolic disease in 2,062 retired NFL athletes. The results for these retired NFL athletes demonstrated that increases in BMI post-career were more likely to be associated with heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Thus, preventing or slowing increases in weight - by encouraging healthy diet and exercise practices - may have protective effects against chronic diseases in these athletes.
For more information, view the abstract or contact the investigator.
Music Hath Charms to Soothe the Savage Beast - But What About the Savage Workout?
Can you recall a time when you exercised hard and just felt totally lousy for a long while afterwards? There is now scientific evidence to show that you can use slow, sedative music to aid recovery from an exhaustive workout. Researchers from Brunel University London asked 42 young physically active men and women (21 each gender) to exercise on a stationary bike to the point of exhaustion. In the study design, investigators used both relaxing and arousing music to investigate whether either would help people in their recovery. The results indicated that the relaxing music positively influenced various psychological and physiological outcomes and was sufficiently potent to enhance the overall recovery process. For example, salivary cortisol, which is a physiological indicator of stress, was lower in response to slow, sedative music when compared to fast, stimulative music. So, whenever you feel down and out after a hard workout, play some soothing music to aid your recovery and lift your mood.
For more information, view the abstract or contact the investigator.
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