Framingham Heart Study shows that HDL Cholesterol Levels should not be interpreted in a Vacuum!

For nearly four decades, HDL cholesterol has been known as the ‘good cholesterol.’ Over the past few years, researchers have been trying to determine whether or not HDL by itself is protective against heart disease, or if it’s just the fact that high HDL levels are often seen individuals who are physically fit and/or do not have many risk factors for heart disease. Read on to learn more!...

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Can Just a Little Bit of Resistance Training Help to Prevent Metabolic Syndrome?

Metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) is a very common condition that significantly increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. It has long been known that aerobic activity can be very helpful in the prevention of MetSyn. Much less is known about how much resistance training is necessary to prevent this harmful condition. Read on to learn more!...

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Asthma and Depression: the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study (CCLS)

Asthma and depression each affect about 10% of the overall U.S. population. The prevalence of asthma is somewhat higher among youth than adults. While some U.S. studies have shown an association between asthma and depression, the data is based mostly on self-report rather than objective clinical measurements of these conditions. A recent study on Cooper Clinic patients explored this important topic. Read on to learn more!...

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Cardiorespiratory Fitness Levels among Female Cancer Survivors: The Cooper Center Longitudinal Study

Low cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is related to an increased risk of certain cancers in women. Breast cancer survivors have significantly lower levels of CRF than women with no history of cancer. Much less is known about the CRF levels of women who have gynecologic cancers (cervical, endometrial/uterine, and ovarian). In this blog, we look at a recent publication from the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study regarding this important topic, as well as its implications....

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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!...

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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....

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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!...

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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!...

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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....

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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!...

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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....

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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....

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