The Olympic-size benefit of an hour of daily exercise

Moving on from the Summer Olympics, we’re thinking more about new insights from a study about exercise that began at the start of the 2012 Olympic cycle.

Researchers set out to test the findings of a study published in the journal Diabetologia that proclaimed being sedentary greatly increased your risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and an early death — no matter what else you did. To do that, they examined 13 studies that included more than 1 million men and women and offered information about the effects of sitting, exercise and overall health. They’ve recently published their findings in the journal The Lancet.

The researchers determined that 60-75 minutes of moderate exercise a day can nearly cancel out all the bad effects on your body (muscle weakness, poor heart health, etc.) of sitting for eight hours a day. If you increase your effort to an hour or more of intense daily exercise — try interval training — the benefits increase.

That’s an Olympic-size win for those of you who work at sedentary jobs or find yourself sitting down for more than eight hours a day. So go power walking for 30 minutes in the morning, 15 minutes at lunch and 30 minutes after work (aiming for 10,000 steps a day) and throw in strength training two to three times a week. You’ll get gold in most improved health!

Something’s fishy here

Once again, headline-grabbing health news is sending folks into a whirl, just like ... well ... exactly which political news story should we cite? How about this one: On Nov. 3, 1948, the Chicago Tribune printed the front-page headline, “Dewey Defeats Truman.” That was just plain wrong, and so may be recent headlines declaring that eating any animal protein will send you to an earlier grave than eating a vegetarian diet.

True, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital looked at data from two studies in which 170,000 participants were tracked for over 26 years and found that meat eaters had a shorter life span than non-meat eaters. But that’s not the complete story.

When they dug down into their data, they found that it’s the source of the protein, combined with lifestyle choices, that influences longevity. The worst outcomes from animal protein consumption afflicted study participants who were obese, medically underweight, serious drinkers, inactive and/or smoked. Turns out these folks went for burgers, salami and ribs, and were generally unhealthy. Taking in saturated fat and pro-inflammatory chemicals from red and processed meats amplified their health woes.

But active, normal-weight folks, who ate far more poultry and fish than red and processed meats, seemed to incur no damage from that. So don’t give up salmon and sea trout (loaded with anti-inflammatory, heart-lovin’ omega-3s), and stick with skinless poultry. Combined with seven to nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily, you’ll get the protein, fiber and nutrients you need to thrive.

We’re not just blowing smoke

When Woodie Guthrie sang, “Let me go here one more time/And one more time,” he was hoping to recapture a past that had faded away. When we ask you to let us revisit, one more time, the subject of e-cigarettes, we’re hoping to help you capture a better future.

Seems every time we turn around, there’s more bad news about these not-exactly-cigarettes. Now it turns out that the heating coil in your e-cig can convert solvents that carry flavorings and nicotine through the device into very toxic vapes. The hotter the device — and the more you use it — the more toxins it produces.

An international group of researchers found propylene glycol, glycerin, nicotine, ethanol, acetol and propylene oxide were in three refill e-liquids they tested. Propylene oxide is a possible carcinogen and respiratory irritant, and the aerosols that the device generates from these ingredients include a previously unidentified carcinogen and many powerful irritants.

This toxic plume is most present in single coil devices. It seems they overheat more than double coils and produce more toxins. In any case, reusing the device without cleaning it also ramps up toxin emissions more than 60 percent.

If you’ve been smoking tobacco for 20 years and you think that moving to an e-cig is going to spare you from exposure to carcinogens, think again. We suggest finding a quit-smoking buddy or a support group online or in your locale, and trying a nicotine patch and an anti-craving pill. And clearly, if you have never smoked, don’t try these vaporizers.

Best defensive player: the flu shot

When the New York Giants’ Michael Strahan was crowned the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2001, he could never have predicted that one day he would be co-captain of “Live With Kelly and Michael” or on the team of “Good Morning America.” But he sure has demonstrated that a great defense can give you a long and productive life.

Now, if you have Type 2 diabetes, the same is true for you.

If you mount a great defense against the flu, you also can protect yourself from cardiovascular problems that could bench you for the season, or worse. A seven-year study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal looked at almost 125,000 people with Type 2 diabetes; around two-thirds received a flu vaccination. The researchers found that over the course of the study, folks who got the shot had a 30 percent lower risk of stroke, a 22 percent lower risk of heart failure and a 24 percent lower risk of dying from all causes.

So if you have Type 2 (or even if you don’t), make sure to get the flu shot this season. And boost your defensive line even more: Lose weight if you need to. Get an additional 30-60 minutes of physical activity a day. Do strength-building exercises two to three times weekly. Dodge the five food felons (added sugars and syrups, all trans and most sat fats and any grain that isn’t 100 percent whole). Eat five to nine servings of produce daily. Then you’ll be Defensive Player of the Year too!

Haul in the oats

Eating 100 percent steel-cut oats, barley, rye and 100 percent whole wheat helps keep your LDL cholesterol at a healthy level, your arteries clear of plaque and your bones strong.

The steel-cut oats are a good-for-your-heart whole grain; barley has half the calories of oats, more fiber and twice the protein; and rye boosts weight loss by making you feel full longer.

How do oats and barley (and the other guys) work their magic? Some say because they’re prebiotics, they provide nourishment for your health-promoting gut bacteria. Others suggest that they help you excrete bile salts and cholesterol esters. And barley in particular has been cited as a great source of fiber, good for clearing out lousy LDL cholesterol — especially important if you have diabetes, which increases your risk for cardiovascular problems.

No matter what’s at work, these whole grains are great as unadulterated side dishes and in certain breads, flatbreads, cereals and noodles (read the labels). Dish them up daily.

This story was originally published August 23, 2016 at 9:04 AM with the headline "The Olympic-size benefit of an hour of daily exercise."