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In this week’s edition we learn how exercise can curb nicotine cravings in female smokers, that pregnant women consuming a high-fat diet may be putting their unborn child at risk for diabetes and just how important it is to exercise good posture.
Hi, I’m Bailey Mosier and this is your EmpowHER.com Week in Health.
In this week’s edition we learn how exercise can curb nicotine cravings in female smokers, that pregnant women consuming a high-fat diet may be putting their unborn child at risk for diabetes and just how important it is to exercise good posture.
It’s nothing new that researchers have found exercise can curb nicotine cravings in female smokers. But the effect is short-lived and hasn’t been translated into a real-world solution for quitting smoking.
But a recent study by a team from Brown University analyzed 60 female smokers over an 8-week period. Half were assigned to walk briskly on a treadmill three times a week for 50 minutes – the other 30 females did not exercise.
The researchers found that those who exercised were more likely to experience improved mood and decreased cigarette cravings, but by the time of their next exercise session, their cravings returned.
The team of researchers received a National Institute of Health grant for $2.2 million over 5 years to study the issue in further detail and figure out the practical application of how exercise can help women quit smoking.
A new University of Illinois study published in the Journal of Physiology found that exposure to a high-fat diet before birth modifies gene expression in the livers of offspring and thus, become more likely to overproduce glucose, which can cause early insulin resistance and diabetes, even if the mother, herself, is not obese or diabetic.
Researchers say that until now, they didn't realize that a mother's diet during pregnancy had a long-term effect on the metabolic pathways that affect her child's glucose production.
Experts say that the high-fat diet that can cause these changes is a typical Western diet that contains 45 percent fat, which is not at all unusual, and that nutritional guidance is invaluable for all pregnant women and their babies.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, more than 600,000 Americans a year endure posture-related muscle aches and injuries, serious enough to cause missed days of work.
Experts are particularly concerned about poor posture habits in still-growing children and teens, who put themselves at risk for developing curved spines from spending too much time hunched in front of electronic devices.
We know that sitting up straight is healthy for our spines, but a study from Northwestern University also found that those who maintain straight posture when sitting project more of a leadership ability to others, compared with when they slouch, and also feel more powerful even when assigned the role of a subordinate.
While there’s no quick fix for breaking poor posture habits, experts suggest doing yoga or tai chi and stress how important it is to practice good posture as children and let it carry over to adulthood.
That wraps up your EmpowHER Week In Health. Join me here, at EmpowHER.com every Friday as we recap the latest in women’s health.
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