Month: July 2013

Obesity rates in the United States are still increasing, and have reached nearly 60 percent for women in some counties. But the good news is that physical activity is on the rise too, according to a new study of counties across the nation.

Physical exercise reorganizes the human brain so that it responds better to stress and normal brain function is less likely to be affected by anxiety, researchers from Princeton University wrote in the Journal of Neuroscience. In an animal experiment, the authors found that when very physically active mice were exposed to a stressor – cold water – neurons in their brains that shut off excitement …

Exercise leads to the creation of excitable brain cells, but it also creates neurons that can quiet parts of the brain and counter everyday stress, new research in mice shows.

In a trial that included nearly 200 participants with peripheral artery disease, a home-based exercise intervention with a group-mediated cognitive behavioral intervention component improved walking performance and physical activity in patients with PAD, according to a study in the July 3 issue of JAMA.

The startups emerging from the Nike+Accelerator presented their projects at the recent Demo Day in San Francisco. Many of the projects are designed to transform users’ physical activity into virtual money.     Alice Gillet read more