September 2nd, 2010
The Introduction
Obesity and overweightness have long been known as risk factors for knee osteoarthritis and knee pain in general. Sadly as we age, even in masters athletes, the amount of body fat increases. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between body composition (e.g. fat mass, muscle mass) and knee structure, including knee cartilage volume, cartilage defects and bone marrow damage. This study showed that fat mass was associated with increased cartilage defects and bone marrow lesions which are features of early knee osteoarthritis. In contrast, skeletal muscle mass was positively associated with cartilage volume, a great thing for healthy knees.
Browse related items: arthritis, fat, knee joint, muscle mass
September 2nd, 2010
The Introduction
Water comprises about 60% of human body weight and is critical for life. Without water, we can survive for just 2–4 days. For we masters athletes, water is critical to allow us to perform at our best in training and competition. However, there are many unanswered questions about whether consuming water is superior to consuming other fluids or about the exact effect of replacing water with other fluids (e.g. milk and diet drinks) in the diet. Consensus is emerging that food intake is not reduced when energy-rich beverages are consumed and there is a need to further explore how energy intake and weight status are affected by the selection of various beverages compared to water in the diet. This research suggests water taken near a meal reduces the daily energy intake and thus helping us lose weight.
Browse related items: fluids, weight loss
September 1st, 2010
The Introduction
Hopefully this series of articles isn’t suggesting I’m becoming morbid with the focus on the risk of death! It’s just that a number of interesting review papers I have read lately are strongly suggesting the need for older people to stay socially engaged to help with overall health. My sporting life in masters swimming, veteran cycling and running and triathlon clubs over the years has taught me how much fun, fitness and friendship comes from the interactions in these clubs. What’s interesting is that this research is suggesting that those that stay socially engaged not only have a better quality of life but are more likely to live longer too.
Browse related items: mortality, social interaction
August 31st, 2010
The Introduction
Physical activity and sport are major modifiers of bone mineral density. Research also suggests that the more bone mineral density we develop through sport as kids, the better our chances of lowering bone density as fast as older athletes. In contrast, excessive training can have negative effects on the skeleton as a result of bones being very sensitive to hormones that can be disrupted during periods of heavy training, especially in female athletes. Bone density also decreases with age in both males and females but is rarely looked at in masters athletes. This research suggests veteran sprinters have better bone density than veteran distance runners.
Browse related items: bone, endurance training, sprint training
August 31st, 2010
The Introduction
I’ve long taken a daily multi-vitamin and multi-mineral supplement – mainly to cover what may be missing in what I hope is a healthy, well-balanced diet. A significant proportion of the general population report supplementing their diet with one or more vitamins or minerals, with common reasons for doing so being to combat stress and fatigue and to improve mental functioning. Few studies have assessed the relationship between supplementation with vitamins/minerals and psychological functioning in healthy cohorts of middle-aged adults. Vitamin/mineral (Berocca) supplementation led to significant improvements in ratings on the stress scale, general health questionairre and the ‘vigour’ subscale of the POMS.
Browse related items: health benefits, nutrition, supplements, vitamins
