Studies investigating the relationship between physical activity and mental health are mostly limited to adults. In adults, physical activity has been shown to have a short term mood-enhancing effect. Moderate levels of intensity and duration of physical activity have been shown to have a stress-reducing effect, but an additional increase of either the duration or [...]
Diabetes mellitus is a disorder of the carbohydrate metabolism characterized by high blood sugar levels. It is known to be an important CVD risk factor and it is often accompanied by overweight or obesity. Diabetes mellitus develops when there is inadequate production of insulin by the pancreas, or inadequate utilization of insulin by the cells. [...]
In adults it is known that endurance training can reduce both systolic and diastolic blood pressure by approximately 10 mmHg in individuals with moderate essential hypertension, but exercise does not seem to have an effect on subjects with severe hypertension. However, the mechanisms responsible for the decrease in blood pressure with physical activity have yet [...]
Lactate is continuously produced in skeletal muscle, even at rest, but with the onset of exercise, increases in the glycolytic resynthesis of ATP result in a correspondingly greater production of lactate in active fibres. Lactate metabolism is a dynamic process and while some fibres produce lactate, adjacent fibres simultaneously consume it as an energy source. [...]
Insulin increases the uptake of glucose by the muscles, promotes the synthesis of glycogen, inhibits lipolysis and increases lipid synthesis; therefore it has been speculated that age-dependent changes in blood insulin concentration might influence metabolic characteristics. Supporting data are, however, not convincing. In one of the most comprehensive studies, Wirth et al (1978) determined the [...]