It’s a contentious and much-debated topic, and now a new study has come out on the side of those who say that stretching serves little or no purpose for exercisers. Australian researchers have reviewed the findings from ten separate studies, each involving between ten and 30 participants, and concluded that pre and post-exercise stretching will not prevent sore muscles.

Of the ten studies, nine had been carried out in laboratory conditions, with the time spent stretching in each case varying from 40 seconds to ten minutes. Using a 100-point scale to assess the level of soreness, the researchers noted no more than a one point reduction in soreness in participants who had partaken in stretching prior to, or after, exercise.

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A recent US study has shown that that about 60 per cent of the protection that women gain against stroke and heart disease is derived from its effect on just a few particular risk factors.

The research, published in the journal Circulation, used data from 27,000 women who partook in the Women’s Health Study. With an average age of 55 years, the participants’ cardiovascular risk factors and exercise levels were monitored for 11 years.

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A recent study has shown that a combination of resistance training and cardiovascular exercise is the most effective way of beating type 2 diabetes.

Researchers at the University of Calgary, in Canada found that the combination regime appeared to be more effective at controlling blood sugar levels than cardio or weight training exercise alone. Lead researcher and associate professor of medicine and cardiac sciences at the university, Dr Ronald Sigal, said the findings were interesting because ‘most other studies have looked at just one kind of exercise, either aerobic or resistance’.

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In the weights area of most fitness facilities the sounds of grunting and noisy exhalations are as commonplace as the sweaty singlets, but in the US lines have been drawn dividing the grunters and the tight-lipped sound-stiflers.

The Planet Fitness chain of clubs has a ‘no-grunting’ policy, which it enforced in 2006 when one of its members, Albert Argibay, was escorted from a New York club after a fellow member complained about the noise he was emitting while weightlifting. The incident led to acrimony between the club and Argibay, resulting in the revoking of his membership.

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New German research has indicated that exercise may help the heart to grow stronger and repair itself by instigating the growth of new blood vessels.

Presenting the findings to the European Society of Cardiology, Dr Robert Hollriegel of the Leipzig University in Germany reported that individuals with serious heart failure who cycled for half an hour a day for 16 weeks produced new stem cells in their bones and also exhibited more small blood vessels in their muscles. Non-exercisers in the 37-person study displayed no change in their blood vessels or muscles.

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A recent US study has added credence to the theory that eating trends leading to obesity, and at the other end of the spectrum, thinness, may often be socially contagious.

Study author and professor at Harvard University, Dr Nicholas Christakis, said, ‘This reinforces the idea that because people are interconnected, their health is interconnected. It takes seriously the embedded-ness of people within social networks and gives new meaning to the concept of public health’.

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A new US study suggests that in addition to its antioxidant properties, green tea may also be beneficial for the skin.

Researchers at the Medical College of Georgia found that green tea slowed the growth of skin cells in mice which were genetically predisposed to psoriasis. The findings, published in Experimental Dermatology prompted researchers to theorise that the beverage could be used in the treatment of psoriasis and other inflammatory skin conditions, such as lupus-related skin lesions and dandruff.

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New research has indicated that people who have suffered colon cancer may be able to significantly lower the risk of their cancer returning by eating a diet high in fish, poultry, vegetables and fruit.

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A New York company is helping to increase worker productivity by taking its mind body practices to the workplace.

It sounds like a typical New York story, but this one makes a lot of sense and the success of the business model speaks for itself. A recent poll showed that only one in four employees in the US deemed themselves to be ‘truly engaged’ at work. With such high rates of worker stress, dissatisfaction and its associated loss of productivity, founding her company Balance Integration Corp to deliver yoga and on-site stress relief in office blocks across Manhattan and beyond seemed like a natural remedy to ‘Work-life satisfaction guru’ Tevis Gale. ‘We create employees who thrive. All our programming is intended to unleash employee productivity, and happiness’ she said.

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American researchers have undertaken a study which utilised the internet to increase levels of participation in physical activity.

In the study, 249 sedentary adults were recruited to partake in an experimental exercise program. The participants were divided into three groups; a supportive and motivational internet-based program; a print-based version of this internet-based program; or internet links to credible online exercise programs administered by medical and fitness professionals.

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