Returning to activity and sport postpartum; what do we currently know and what is missing?

Authors: Schulz JM, Thornton JS In this blog we will explore the current research and gaps around return to activity and return to sport postpartum. The objective of our study (currently published in BJSM) was to determine what recommendations are currently being made for return to activity and sport postpartum and highlight the gaps that […]

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Designing resistance training programs for healthy adults

Authors: Brad S Currier, Jonathan C Mcleod, Stuart M Phillips This blog summarizes a recent publication in BJSM. Why is this study important, and what did we do? The strength and size of muscles are critical for physical function, metabolic health, and healthy aging. Resistance training (a.k.a. strength training or weightlifting) is the most effective […]

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The state of play on relative energy deficiency in sport (REDs)

Long-term low energy availability leads to adaptive changes throughout the body resulting in the clinical outcomes of REDs This blog is in light of recently published updated International Olympic Committee (IOC) consensus statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) in BJSM. What’s in a name change? Making “s” lower case is helpful as relative energy deficiency […]

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What’s the best exercise training to reduce blood pressure?

This blog provides an overview of a study recently published in BJSM. Please click here to access the full article.  Why is this study important? It is estimated that more than 1.4 billion of the world’s population has high blood pressure (hypertension), which is a leading cause of disease and death. Commonly prescribed medications to […]

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Upcoming event in Scotland: Scottish Physical Activity Research Connections (SPARC) Conference 2023!

The 8th annual SPARC conference will take place at the University of Edinburgh, UK on Wednesday 8th November 2023 – the first in-person SPARC event since the pandemic. What is SPARC? The Scottish Physical Activity Research Connections (SPARC) was established in 2016 as a network of physical activity researchers, policy-makers and practitioners in Scotland. SPARC […]

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Speak up and move with the new Massive Open Online Course Exercise in Medicine: From Functional Evaluation to Adapted Exercise Training

Keywords: exercise prescription, cardiopulmonary exercise test, chronic diseases Although physical activity and exercise are evidence-based treatment modalities for different chronic diseases (class I recommendation, level of evidence A*), the respective implementation in healthcare systems and its impact on public health is still very limited. Indeed, this promising treatment is currently underused in real-world settings, mostly […]

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Fighting off the genetic risk of type 2 diabetes through an active lifestyle

This blog provides a summary of a recent study published in BJSM. Why is this study important? Diabetes affects more than 10% of the world’s population and it is one of the most common chronic diseases in the 21st century (1). Diabetes can lead to serious disease complications, disabilities, and premature deaths (2), and burden […]

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Physical Activity Is Associated with Fewer Influenza and Pneumonia Deaths

Authors: Bryant Webber; Heather Yun; Geoffrey Whitfield After reviewing 25 studies during the pandemic, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that being physically inactive increases the chance of severe COVID-19 illness. Given emerging interest in the relationship between physical activity and infectious diseases, we explored the impact of types and amounts of […]

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Exercise proves to be an evidence based treatment option for depression

In this blog, we explain the results of our review recently published in BJSM. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the effect of exercise interventions (including aerobic training like running and cycling and strength training) on adults with elevated levels of depression to synthesise existing evidence. Why is this study important? […]

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Exercise versus caloric restriction for visceral fat loss – which is better?

In this blog article we explain the findings of our recent meta-analysis where we compared the effects of exercise and caloric restriction for reducing visceral fat in individuals with overweight and obesity.  Why is this study important?  Obesity is a growing global public health concern, with 39% of adults being overweight and 13% being obese […]

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