Can Having Diabetes Increase Your Risk of Falling?

Rates of diabetes mellitus (DM) have been skyrocketing worldwide over the past 3 decades. DM carries with it many serious health risks; one of which is neuropathy (nerve damage). In this blog, we discuss how neuropathy can lead to a significantly increased risk of falling. Read on to learn more!...

Read More

Can Older Adults Walk Their Way to a Lower Risk of Premature Death?

The majority of older adults do not meet current public health guidelines for physical activity. Walking represents a form of physical activity that is free, does not require specific training, and can be done almost anywhere. However, very few studies have examined the relationship between walking and mortality risk in older adults. Read on to learn about a large study performed by the American Cancer Society on this important topic!...

Read More

Cardiorespiratory Fitness Level Strongly Impacts Mortality Risk in Men and Women: The Cooper Center Longitudinal Study

Many of us with an interest in health and fitness take it for granted that experts have always known that being physically fit helps to decrease the risk of premature death. Actually, researchers from The Cooper Institute and Cooper Clinic were the first to prove this in published studies! Read on to learn more about our landmark 1989 paper from the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study....

Read More

Risks and Benefits of Daily Low-Dose Aspirin for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and Colon Cancer

March is national colon cancer awareness month. Next to lung cancer, colon cancer is the second and third leading cancer killer among U.S. men and women, respectively. There is evidence that daily low-dose aspirin can reduce the risk of developing colon cancer and cardiovascular disease. However, there are also risks related to aspirin therapy that everyone should be aware of. Read on to learn more!...

Read More

How Effective are the DASH Diet and the Mediterranean Diet at Reducing Mortality Risk? The Cooper Center Longitudinal Study.

It’s a given that dietary patterns have a substantial effect on mortality risk. While there are many fad diets with little to no scientific evidence to back them, a couple of notable exceptions to the rule are the DASH and Mediterranean Diets. Read on to learn more about how these dietary patterns affect mortality in Cooper Clinic patients!...

Read More

Creatine Supplements: Friend or Foe for Exercise Performance?

There are hundreds, if not thousands of dietary supplements that claim to improve athletic performance. While these claims are generally not supported by scientific data, there are some notable exceptions. In this blog, we discuss facts and misconceptions regarding one of the most popular dietary supplements, creatine monohydrate....

Read More

Energy Drinks: Friend or Foe?

Energy drinks have surged in popularity over the past quarter of a century, particularly among the younger segments of the population. Concerns regarding adverse events associated with these drinks have arisen. Recently, the American College of Sports Medicine issued a Contemporary Issues paper on the topic of energy drinks. Read on to learn more!...

Read More

ADHD, Stimulant Use, and Cardiovascular Responses to Maximal Exercise

Individuals with attention–deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are commonly prescribed stimulant medications. Little is known regarding the effects of these stimulants on cardiovascular responses to maximal exercise and during recovery from exercise. In this blog, we’ll discuss two studies of 245 Cooper Clinic patients with ADHD who were taking a stimulant at the time of their comprehensive preventive exam....

Read More

How Does Being Sedentary Hurt Your Heart? New Insights from the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study

We’ve known for a long time that having a low level of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the mechanisms behind this complex relationship are not fully understood. While being fit has favorable effects on many CVD risk factors, these effects do not fully explain why having a low level of fitness is so detrimental to heart health. Read on to learn more about how being sedentary is actually associated with low level heart muscle damage....

Read More

Midlife Fitness Level is a Strong Predictor of Stroke: The Cooper Center Longitudinal Study

Stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability in the U.S., and is also among the leading causes of death. Risk factors for stroke such as hypertension, diabetes, age, and atrial fibrillation were identified long ago. More recently, low levels of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) have emerged as a strong and independent risk factor for stroke as well. Read on to learn more about how Cooper Institute data shows that CRF level at midlife impacts the risk of having a stroke after the age of 65!...

Read More

Introduction to the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study (CCLS)

Many of us with an interest in health and fitness take it for granted that being physically fit helps to improve coronary risk factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol and weight, but someone had to prove it first! That was none other than Dr. Kenneth Cooper, the “Father of Aerobics” who was the first to publish a study proving that exercise really is medicine. Read on to learn more about the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study, the largest study of its kind....

Read More

Know your Cardiorespiratory Fitness Level and Coronary Artery Calcium Score

Most health-conscious people know that their resting blood pressure, cholesterol level, smoking status, etc. are important risk factors for cardiovascular disease. A lesser number of people know that their level of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) level is also a strong risk factor, and very few know about the importance of coronary artery calcification (CAC) score as a risk factor. In this blog, we examine a recent novel study that examined the effect of CRF across different levels of CAC on the risk of cardiovascular events in a large group of Cooper Clinic men. Read on to learn more!...

Read More