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Being unfit or overweight raises white blood cell levels

Posted on Oct. 20, 2008, 5:54 a.m. in Exercise Inflammation Weight and Obesity
Recent study results have shown that unfit and overweight people have elevated levels of white blood cells, thus suggesting that being physically unfit and/or overweight puts people at risk of chronic or so-called silent inflammation.

Recent study results have shown that unfit and overweight people have elevated levels of white blood cells, thus suggesting that being physically unfit and/or overweight puts people at risk of chronic or so-called silent inflammation.

Professor Tim Church and colleagues at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center took resting blood samples from 452 healthy men. Participants also underweight a treadmill exercise test and were weighed and measured so that their BMI could be calculated.  After adjusting for age, the researchers found that white blood cell levels were lowest in the fittest men and highest in those men who were the most physically unfit. Results also showed that white blood cell count increased inline with increasing body fat.

Chronic inflammation is a known risk factor for many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease. It has been known for sometime that being overweight or obese is a risk factor for inflammation; however this new research suggests that being physically unfit may also trigger inflammatory processes.

Johannsen NM, Priest EL, Dixit VD, Earnest CP, Blair SN, Church TS. Association of White Blood Cell Subfraction Concentration with Fitness and Fatness. Br J Sports Med. 2008;doi:10.1136/bjsm.2008.050682

 

  

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ANTI-AGING TIP OF THE DAY

Tip #167 - Snooze, Don’t Lose
Too little sleep compromises many of the body’s biological processes, most notably the immune system, metabolic function, and cognitive performance (specifically, learning and memory). Researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Massachusetts, USA) reported that sleep is important for the development of episodic memories, and particularly those of an emotional nature. The team studied 88 college students, and found that those subjects who slept a full evening remembered the emotional scene they were shown in far greater detail, as compared to those participants who stayed awake for 12 hours after viewing the scene.

Defying the adage that ‘you snooze, you lose,’ sleep is a vital process that helps to preserve memories. Don’t underestimate the restorative role of sleep: while the amount of sleep required is highly individualized, it is critical to get sleep of a sufficient duration that is followed by a spontaneous awakening and leaves you feeling refreshed and alert for the day.

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