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December 11, 2022

Adding yoga to regular exercise may help

A female in a cropped sports top and leggings holds a yoga mat and water bottle as she turns halfway toward the sun — Adding yoga to your regular work out program might assistance assistance cardiovascular health. Halfpoint Visuals/Getty Photographs

Hypertension, or significant blood tension, is a possibility issue that can lead to more severe overall health troubles.
Individuals can choose proactive measures to enhance their blood force through life-style modifications.
A current examine uncovered that yoga might offer additional added benefits for controlling blood stress than other stretching solutions.

High blood force can be risky, but people today can consider proactive ways to deal with it. Nonetheless, what operates for just one person could possibly not work for someone else.

Researchers are still functioning to recognize the most helpful techniques and include-on therapies for controlling blood stress.

A pilot study not too long ago released in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology looked at the usefulness of yoga as a way to support regulate superior blood stress.

In comparison to the management group, the group that did yoga observed additional considerable advancements in resting blood stress and coronary heart level in contrast to stretching.

Blood stress has to do with the power of blood stream all through the human body. Blood tension should be at a particular amount for the system to purpose. If blood strain is too significant or as well small, it can lead to adverse well being outcomes.

Superior blood force can improve someone’s chance for stroke, heart attack, or kidney hurt. Dr. Leonard Pianko, cardiologist in Aventura, Florida, who was not included in the study, discussed to Medical Information Nowadays:

“Hypertension is regarded as the silent killer for the reason that you might expertise no signs and symptoms. It is a big chance variable for coronary heart condition, kidney failure, and stroke and can potentiate other health care challenges this sort of as diabetes and elevated cholesterol.”

There are way of living alterations persons can make to aid reduce blood stress. For example, persons can attempt to manage a wholesome body weight and modify their diet program to have fewer sodium and excess fat.

“There are many medications that have demonstrated to be helpful in decreasing your blood pressure. But life style alterations this kind of as training, eating plan, refraining from cigarette smoking, and hydration have also been established to greatly enhance the effectiveness of the medication,” Dr. Pianko even more famous.

This certain pilot examine examined the rewards of yoga in blood force management. The study incorporated sixty participants who experienced hypertension.

Scientists randomly divided contributors into two groups. Equally teams concluded an cardio physical exercise software. Then, just one group included fifteen minutes of yoga five days a week. The other team did fifteen minutes worth of stretching five times a week. This intervention lasted three months.

Though both of those teams saw enhancement in resting blood stress and coronary heart fee, the group that did yoga saw a a lot more major improvement in blood stress, coronary heart charge, and Reynolds hazard scores.

A Reynold risk score allows measure risk for adverse heart results and cardiovascular illness.

The final results suggest that yoga could most likely be an productive increase-on intervention to help increase blood pressure stages.

Brain-system workout routines for hypertension

“Many scientific studies have looked into the helpful physical outcomes of Transcendental Meditation, Tai Chi, and other types of brain-entire body workout routines. This study, which concentrated on yoga, is [a] fantastic reinforcement that our brain performs a considerable position in our actual physical wellness and that these approaches should be incorporated into our tips for lifestyle intervention.”
— Dr. Alon Ronen, cardiologist at Bridgeport Clinic, who was not involved in the review, talking to MNT

The analyze authors famous that there are a several doable reasons why they saw more of an enhancement amongst the individuals that did yoga. It could reduce the action of the sympathetic anxious method, lessen cortisol degrees, and advertise vasodilation.

Dr. Pianko weighed in with his ideas and mentioned there could be quite a few explanations, “including the influence yoga has on our autonomic system.”

“Our adrenal glands create our struggle-or-flight hormones which increase the two our coronary heart level and blood strain. Precise styles of yoga can lessen our cortisol level, which is a tension hormone, thus reducing our blood pressure. Workout with the addition of yoga can modulate these hormones to a stage of tranquility,” he spelled out to MNT.

“As with effects witnessed with other intellect-body blood stress reducing pursuits, there looks to be a genuine correlation with our mental overall health influencing our strain hormone degrees. Mechanisms continue being unclear and might be linked to sleep pattern modifications however, the consequence gain is found.”

The review did have some limits. Initial, it only included a minimal sample sizing and was carried out in excess of a brief time body. This suggests the need to have for much more intensive research with much more prolonged-phrase abide by-ups.

The study authors admit that they may perhaps have misclassified some individuals who were being far more freshly diagnosed with large blood tension. They also did not evaluate participants’ exercise capacity.

Irrespective, the analyze presents much more evidence as to the wellness added benefits of yoga and opens up the probability of long run scientific tests in this space.

Analyze creator Dr. Paul Poirier noted that there are limits to the examine simply because it is a pilot review. On the other hand, he pointed out that yoga had further benefits when compared to stretching physical exercises on your own.

“Yoga is in all probability a improved different just after training training than stretching since there’s an include-on influence of yoga in comparison to stretching. The increase-on impact is blood stress, coronary heart charge, and inflammation [improvement]…This study will likely stimulate others to do larger experiments with various populations, and if the science provides up in the identical way then follow could be modified.”
— Dr. Paul Poirier, study creator

September 2, 2022

Regular exercise may help women live longer, regardless of their genes

An older woman takes a brisk walk outdoors by a lake — California researchers found that physical activity of any intensity may lower the risk of death in women older than 60, regardless of their genetic propensity for longevity. Rob and Julia Campbell/Stocksy

Health experts state that staying active can contribute to healthy aging in older adults.
California researchers found that physical activity of any intensity may lower the risk of death in women older than 60 years.
Their nationwide study also uncovered more evidence that more sedentary behaviors carry greater mortality risk, regardless of genetic propensity for longevity.
The authors hope these findings will encourage older women to be active to reduce the risk of diseases and premature death.

In the United States, the National Center for Health Statistics estimates the life expectancies of males and females are 74.5 years and 80.2 years, respectively. For healthy aging, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that physical activity is key.

To find out whether physical activity had an advantage over genetics in promoting longevity, researchers at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at the University of California San Diego and other institutions conducted a nationwide study.

After analyzing health data of more than 5,000 older postmenopausal women, the researchers found that higher levels of light, moderate, or vigorous physical activity correlated with a lower risk of all-cause deaths. The findings expanded on prior studies that have shown that more sedentary time carries greater health risks.

These associations persisted across varying levels of genetic potential for living longer.

“[The] findings support the importance of higher physical activity (PA) and lower sedentary time (ST) for reducing mortality risk in older women, regardless of [their] genetic predisposition for longevity,” the researchers wrote.

Their prospective study was recently published in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity.

From 2012 to 2020, the UC San Diego researchers analyzed data on the physical activity of more than 5,000 ambulatory women ages 63 and older.

Lead author Alexander Posis, MPH, a doctoral student in the San Diego State University/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Public Health, explained the significance of the OPACH study to Medical News Today:

“Our study used pre-existing data from the Objective Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health (OPACH) study, which is part of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) that started in the early 1990s because women had not been included in many epidemiologic studies and clinical trials.”

– Alexander Posis, MPH, lead author of the study

The OPACH study focused on associations between physical activity, cardiovascular disease, and injury risks. The data generated allowed researchers to look at physical activity and the risk of mortality, cancers, cognitive decline, and physical disability as well.

Other research using the OPACH study found associations with physical activity (PA), sedentary time (ST), and mortality during an average follow-up of 3 years. However, no one had explored any possible genetic influence on these associations.

The UC San Diego study aimed to use a follow-up of 6 years and adjust the results with a “weighted genetic risk score (GRS) for longevity.”

Activity, variants, and covariates

OPACH participants wore an accelerometer 24 hours per day for 7 consecutive days.

The device measured the amount of time the women spent moving or being still and the intensity of any activity.

The researchers defined total PA “as movement resulting in energy expenditure.” They categorized PA intensity and ST minutes using predetermined cut points applied to the accelerometer counts.

Choosing longevity genes

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have linked multiple single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), or genetic variants, to longevity.

The UC San Diego cohort developed a weighted GRS based on three SNPs strongly associated with long life. This metric compared survival to age 90 versus death before age 90.

Covariates and comorbidities

Covariates, or characteristics among the study’s participants, included age, education level, body mass index (BMI), self-reported health status, and other details. Participants’ race was also a factor but was limited to white, Black, and Hispanic ethnicities.

The study also analyzed chronic conditions present before or after participation, including cancer, depression, frequent falls, and cardiovascular disease.

Of the 5,446 women in the present study’s sample, 1,022 passed away during follow-up.

The authors determined that 36{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of the total population had a high GRS, 33.1{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} had a medium GRS, and 30.9{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} had a low GRS for longevity.

The researchers firstly found that physical activity, of light or moderate-to-vigorous intensity, was associated with a lower risk of death while higher ST was associated with a higher risk of death. Interestingly, these associations persisted regardless of one’s genetic predisposition for longevity.

Interestingly, the low-GRS individuals were younger, more active, and had higher physical functioning scores than the other GRS groups. Those with low GRS were also “more likely to be of Black race/ethnicity than the medium and high GRS groups.”

“Our study showed that, even if you aren’t likely to live long based on your genes, you can still extend your lifespan by engaging in positive lifestyle behaviors such as regular exercise and sitting less,” Aladdin H. Shadyab, PhD, the study’s senior author and assistant professor at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, said in a news release.

Historically, women have been significantly underrepresented in clinical trials. Using data from the OPACH study was a step forward in inclusive research.

However, the resulting lack of male participation created a limitation on the UC San Diego study’s findings.

“Based on the design of our study, we were not able to make any inferences on men. But we hope that future studies will examine these associations in study cohorts that include men as well as those in younger age groups,” Posis told MNT.

Dr. Scott Kaiser, a geriatrician and director of Geriatric Cognitive Health for the Pacific Neuroscience Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, told MNT the work is a “well-done study [… with] a lot of great data.” However, he cautioned that the current study is an association study and not designed to prove causality.

“I think this just supports an increasing amount of evidence that our genes are not our destiny […] It shows that there is a stronger association between longevity with physical activity than [with] genetics,” Dr. Kaiser said.

Noting that the present study focused on only certain markers of longevity, Dr. Kaiser added that researchers need to determine other such factors. For instance, he said that the SNPs used to calculate the GRS were more common among people of European ancestry.

Is ‘sedentary’ a misnomer?

Dr. Kaiser said the term “sedentary time” might not be appropriate. It does not account for people who are unable to walk but can still engage in other physical activities such as chair exercises.

“It’s whether you just have some consistent physical activity versus somebody who’s overall physically inactive,” he said.

Dr. Kaiser hopes the public will understand that genetics do not trump a healthy lifestyle for reducing disease and mortality risk.

“When it comes to healthy aging, exercise is about the closest thing we have to a miracle drug,” he said.

“The whole take of this [study] is that even if you could go to your doctor and get a fancy genetic test to see whether or not you have markers of longevity, it doesn’t matter as much as whether you get up off the couch and exercise on a regular basis.”

– Dr. Scott Kaiser, geriatrician and director of Geriatric Cognitive Health for the Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, CA

Posted on March 2, 2022
MLB lockout: Five takeaways as Rob Manfred cancels regular season games after owners, MLBPA fail to reach deal

After an extension of Monday’s informal deadline, Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association were unable to strike a new collective bargaining agreement that would end the owner-imposed lockout on Tuesday. MLB, which set a 5 p.m. ET deadline for a deal, made what it called its “best and final offer” Tuesday afternoon, which was unanimously rejected by the union. Soon thereafter, commissioner Rob Manfred announced in a press conference that regular season games will be canceled.

“I had hoped against hope I wouldn’t have to have this press conference where I am going to cancel some regular season games,” Manfred said. “We worked hard to avoid an outcome that’s bad for our fans, bad for our players, and bad for our clubs. Our failure to reach an agreement was not due to a lack of effort by either party.”

Manfred added the first two series of the 2022 season will not be played as scheduled. Opening Day was originally scheduled for Thursday, March 31, and has been pushed back at least one week. Manfred laughed and joked his way through part of Tuesday’s press conference and it was not lost on the players.

“Today is a sad day. We came to Florida to navigate and negotiate for a fair collective bargaining agreement. Despite meeting daily, there is still significant work to be done,” MLBPA executive Tony Clark said Tuesday. “The reason we are not playing is simple: a lockout is the ultimate economic weapon. In a $10 billion dollar industry, the owners have decided to use this weapon against the greatest asset they have: the players.”

The MLBPA issued the following statement Tuesday evening:

Rob Manfred and MLB’s owners have cancelled the start of the season. Players and fans around the world who love baseball are disgusted, but sadly not surprised.

From the beginning of these negotiations, Players’ objectives have been consistent — to promote competition, provide fair compensation for young Players, and to uphold the integrity of our market system. Against the backdrop of growing revenues and record profits, we are seeking nothing more than a fair agreement.

What Rob Manfred characterized as a “defensive lockout” is, in fact, the culmination of a decades-long attempt by owners to break our Player fraternity. As in the past, this effort will fail. We are united and committed to negotiating a fair deal that will improve the sport for Players, fans and everyone who loves our game.

“They set a deadline here. We’re willing to stay here and have a conversation tomorrow,” Clark said. “We’re willing to fly back to New York. We’re willing to go wherever we need to go to get back in the room and continue the dialogue that has begun.”

Tuesday marked the three-month anniversary of the lockout, and the next step is uncertain. Manfred said the two sides will regroup at some point and continue negotiations, though “no agreement is possible until Thursday.” In all likelihood, MLB and the MLBPA will wait at least a few days before scheduling their next bargaining session.

“If it was solely within my ability or the ability of the clubs to get an agreement, we’d have an agreement,” Manfred, who often touts his deal-making ability, said Tuesday. “The tough thing about this process is we have to get an agreement from both parties.”

Representatives from both sides arrived on site in Jupiter, Florida, around 10 a.m. ET on Tuesday. They met face-to-face for the first time around 1:30 p.m., after the players had a conference call to discuss their proposal, per The Athletic’s Evan Drellich. Although optimism prevailed following Monday’s marathon 16-hour bargaining session, Tuesday occasioned a step back.

MLB originally created a Monday (Feb. 28) deadline to reach an agreement before canceling regular-season games. CBS Sports has provided a timeline of the lockout here, but the short version is owners placed the padlocks on when the previous CBA expired on Dec. 1. They were under no obligation to do so, yet it was labeled as a “defensive” maneuver. The league then waited more than six weeks to make its first proposal.

Here are five takeaways now that Tuesday’s owner-imposed deadline has come and gone.

1. Regular season games will be missed

To reiterate, Opening Day will be delayed and regular season games will be missed now that MLB’s informal deadline has passed. It will be the first time baseball has lost regular season games to a work stoppage since the 1994-95 players’ strike. A total of 90 games have been canceled thus far.

“So what’s next? The calendar dictates that we’re not going to be able to play the first two series of the regular season, and those games are officially canceled,” Manfred said Tuesday. “… Our position is games that will not be played, players will not be paid for.”

It should be noted the length of the season, how players are paid, and the schedule itself are workplace conditions subject to bargaining between MLB and the MLBPA. Manfred does not get to unilaterally declare players will not be paid for games missed. In 2020, the union gave Manfred that power under their March Agreement amid the pandemic, but that was a one-time move.

“It would be our position in the event of games being canceled — that as a feature of any deal for us to come back — that we would be asking for compensation and/or that those games rescheduled,” MLBPA chief negotiator Bruce Meyer said Tuesday.

2. Expanded postseason may be off the table

MLB and the MLBPA reportedly agreed to the framework of an expanded 12-team postseason field on Monday, though the union had previously warned they would not agree to an expanded postseason if players are not paid their full salaries in 2022. Now that regular season games (and potentially salary) will be missed, MLB may have to wait for an expanded postseason.

It’s important to note MLB could agree to pay the players their full salary for a shortened season, in which case the union would likely agree to an expanded postseason field. After all, the players stand to benefit from an expanded postseason too. More postseason games equals more ticket and gate revenue, and that equals a larger postseason pool for players.

For now, expect to make the MLBPA make good on its threat to pull an expanded postseason off the table now that regular season games will be missed. That isn’t to say the two sides can’t reach an agreement that expands the postseason, just that the union is likely to dig in and play hardball with this lucrative item.

3. MLB is trying to deflect blame

If you’ve paid attention throughout the lockout, you may have noticed MLB invariably describes their proposals as “productive” while portraying the MLBPA’s offers as going backwards or overreaching. The league carefully plays the PR game and that was true again late Monday night, then they claimed the two sides were close to a deal while the union cautioned they were still far apart.

“We’ve also been clear and consistent that there are major issues on which we’re very far apart,” Meyer said. “That hasn’t changed. There have been and still are major issues.”

Then, after receiving the MLBPA’s proposal on Tuesday, the league claimed the players had a “decidedly different tone today and made proposals inconsistent with the prior discussions.” It was a transparent attempt to shift the blame for the lockout — the lockout started and continued by ownership — to the players in the court of public opinion. The players were understandably not happy.

Player agent Allen Walsh explained NHL commissioner Gary Bettman used the same tactics in 2005, claiming the two sides where close to an agreement in an effort to pressure the players to accept a deal, even after the 2004-05 NHL season was canceled.

The entire MLB season hasn’t been canceled yet, though it’s clear MLB is trying to deflect blame toward the players. Ultimately, the owners chose to lock out the players, chose to wait 43 days to make their first offer, and chose to set artificial deadlines on Monday and Tuesday. This was (and still is) avoidable, but instead, games will be missed because the owners and Manfred say so.

4. MLB is barely budging on luxury tax thresholds

Perhaps the single biggest issue on the table is the competitive balance tax (i.e. luxury tax), or baseball’s soft salary cap. MLB backed off its proposal for increased penalties within the last 48 hours, though the sides remained very far apart on the thresholds. Here is each side’s final luxury tax threshold proposal:

2022

$220 million

$238 million

2023

$220 million

$244 million

2024

$220 million

$250 million

2025

$224 million

$245 million

2026

$230 million

$263 million

The luxury tax threshold was $210 million in 2021. MLB proposing zero increase in 2023 and 2024 is an unserious offer given how much additional revenue the league is set to rake in through an expanded postseason and the new national television contracts that kick in this year (assuming baseball is played). “A slap in the face,” one player told The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.

MLB and the MLBPA are still a ways apart on other matters — there’s a $55 million gap in the new pre-arbitration bonus pool and a $25,000 gap in minimum salary — though those gaps have been considered more bridgeable than the luxury tax threshold. MLB revenues have increased on average eight percent a year since 2002, and their proposed luxury tax threshold increase from 2022-26 is 4.5 percent total.

“It’s important to look at the patterns of CBT increases over the last several agreements,” Manfred said Tuesday, though those patterns are what the union takes issue with because the threshold has not increased at the same rate as revenue.

5. MLB did not issue a ‘last, best offer’

MLB described Tuesday’s offer as their “best and final offer,” not their “last, best offer,” and there’s an important distinction. “Last, best offer” is a phrase management uses before declaring a legal impasse, and an impasse would allow MLB to unilaterally implement Tuesday’s offer.

“We never used the phrase ‘last, best final offer’ with the union,” Manfred said Tuesday. “We said it was our best offer prior to the deadline to cancel games. Our negotiations are deadlocked right now, but that’s different than using the legal term ‘impasse,’ and I’m not going to do that right now.”

In the event Manfred declares an impasse, the MLBPA would undoubtedly respond by filing an unfair labor practices charge, and the National Labor Relations Board could issue a complaint for failure to bargain in good faith. An impasse would lead to the two sides winding up in front of a judge, essentially.

For now, Manfred has not taken the necessary steps to declare a legal impasse, instead saying the owners “like the keep the idea that we are willing to go back to the table and make an agreement.”

CBS Sports provided live updates of Tuesday’s talks below.