If politicians would spend as much time on programs to get Americans to diet and exercise the way they should, instead of designing Rube-Goldberg-Hillary-Clinton-style socialized health schemes, perhaps the campaign would actually provide some useful information and lead to life-saving action.
We will not solve our health problems and fix our health-care delivery system until lifestyle modifications get the attention and resources they demand. It is utter folly, perhaps even utter insanity, to neglect the most powerful modalities we have - such as exercise and diet - to prevent disease and to maintain health.
Exercise is only one of the magic modalities, the miracle modalities, with preventive and curative powers almost beyond comprehension and imagination. I started thinking again along these lines after reading a chapter on exercise in Dr. Dean Ornish's new book The Spectrum: A Scientifically Proven Program to Feel Better, Live Longer, Lose Weight, Gain Health. Dr. Ornish's ideas are not new and revolutionary, but he mobilizes the scientific consensus in a framework of understanding and action that is easy to follow and implement. He carried on the great tradition of Nathan Pritikin, one of the great pioneers of using lifestyle changes to prevent and cure disease.
Dr. Ornish starts with one of his most powerful points - that your genes are not your fate. Your genes may point in a certain direction, but exercise, diet and other lifestyle changes may determine how your genes are expressed. For example, a recent Finnish study found that moderate to vigorous exercise modified two genes involved in type 2 diabetes and reduced the risk of developing the disease. And that holds true, independent of any change in weight or diet. In other words, you have your genes, but you can make them behave. Even if they point you to some chronic disease or medical catastrophe, you may be able to prevent such genetic expression and save your life and health.
If I told you of a fountain of youth, you'd say that is truly magic and miraculous. Well, exercise is that fountain of youth. Consider what a program of exercise can do to the mitochondria in each of your cells. The mitochondria, says Dr. Ornish, are the "power plants" within your cells.
A recent study found that mitochondria function declines with age. So a study involving the director of genomics at the Buck Institute put older men and women through a six-month exercise program that involved strength training for one hour two days a week. Common gym exercise equipment was used to do various exercises such as leg press, bench press, leg extension and leg flexion.
According to the study director, that made the genetic level of the old become almost like the young. The director of the study explained, "The genetic fingerprint [of the elderly participants] was reversed to that of younger people - not entirely but enough to say that their genetic profile was more like that of young people than old people." In other words, the mitochondrial impairment and muscle weakness of the elderly was at least partially reversed. That might not be the perfect fountain of youth, but it is definitely comes close and is worth drinking from.
And this wasn't just a theoretical demonstration. The participants with the improved genetic profile felt more energetic. Their strength improved 50 percent. Some said for the first time they could pick up their grandchildren and they found it easier to pick up grocery bags and walk up stairs.
After that theoretical and practical demonstration of the magic and the miracle of exercise, you can understand why so many equally incredible benefits flow from it. Exercise doesn't just produce one miraculous transformation but a long series of them. See the box accompanying this story for a catalog of the benefits of exercise. But here are some of what I would call miracles:
Bigger Brains: The latest research shows that regular exercise causes your brain to grow new neurons (brain cells). Until about a decade ago, it was thought you had a fixed number of neurons, which slowly disappeared, and the best you can do was slow down the process. Now, the research suggests you can grow new brain cells. The Salk Institute demonstrated if people walk three hours a week for three months, they grow so many new neurons that the size of their brains actually increases. I'm sure all of us know plenty of people who ought to start exercising immediately.
After only that three-month exercise program, the older people had brain volume equal to someone three years younger. What's more, the new neurons find their way to existing connections, replacing ones that were damaged or malfunctioning.
So exercise doesn't slow the aging process; it reverses it. Other lifestyle modifications (such as nutrition, stress control and stopping abuse of alcohol and other drugs) can also improve brain function.
Moderate exercise, along with healthier eating and stress-management techniques, reduces inflammation throughout the body, including the brain. That reduces the chances of tiny strokes, which can impair thinking ability. Those who exercise also get higher levels of certain neurotransmitters that reduce depression and elevate mood.
Exercise Makes You Smarter: Yes, exercise makes older people smarter. Studies show those who exercise are better at going from one task to another and can focus and concentrate better than those sedentary souls who, in effect, destroy their minds and bodies by just sitting there.
This applies to kids, too. The California Department of Education studied 300,000 children and found that exercisers had higher SAT scores.
Despite scientific findings that exercise makes kids smarter, Dr. Ornish notes that educators today pay almost no attention to physical fitness training. Only one state, Illinois, requires it, and only 10 percent of schools provide physical education.
The Best News: In my view, the best news from Dr. Ornish is that you don't have to kill yourself in the process to get the benefits of exercise. The super-strenuous approach isn't necessary: "To gain all the health benefits of regular exercise, you don't have to join a gym, hire a personal trainer or organize your life around 10-Ks. In the Women's Health Study, a major ongoing research project involving tens of thousands of women, those who walked briskly for just 60-90 minutes a week - 15 minutes a day - cut their risk of heart attack and stroke in half."
Dr. Ornish catalogs all the ways to work exercise into your regular routine, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking a couple of extra blocks away from where you're going and walk, or enjoying such activities as dancing, gardening, tennis, biking and all the rest. This will help deliver fitness as well as health.
Dr. Ornish's book outlines how you can modify your exercise plan to meet your objectives and details the kinds of exercise needed.
He also states all the basic principles of a sustainable exercise program. One of the most important is to be consistent. "When exercising for health, consistency is more important than duration or intensity. It's better to exercise a little every day than to be a 'weekend warrior' and go overboard one or two days a week." Another important principle is to make physical activity a part of your daily routine. For example, "instead of driving, walk or bicycle to work or to the store. ... If you use moving sidewalks at airports, don't just stand there - walk! On a vacation, walk rather than drive to see and experience the sights."
I'd add one important principle he omits: Start today. As with a saving and investment program, the sooner you start an exercise program, the better. If you can't get started today, don't wait past tomorrow. There's no reason not to put the magic and miracles of exercise to work on your behalf.
Herb Denenberg, a former Pennsylvania insurance commissioner and professor at the Wharton School, is a longtime Philadelphia journalist and consumer advocate. He is also a member of the National?Academy of Arts and Sciences. His column appears daily in The Bulletin. You can reach him at advocate@thebulletin.us.
The Benefits of Physical Activity
* Controls weight: Exercise raises your metabolic rate so you burn more calories. Regular exercisers burn even more calories while resting.
* Makes you feel happier: Elevates mood. Lessens the risk of depression.
* Makes you feel less hostility and anger
* Makes you feel more resilient and better able to cope with the stresses
* Makes you feel more self-confident; you enjoy greater self-esteem and a general sense of well-being.
* You have more energy for both work and play.
Your joints are healthier, so you can move more easily and comfortably with less pain.
* Improves your sleep.
* Lowers your blood pressure; you may be able to get off medication.
* Lowers total cholesterol. Lowers LDL ("bad") cholesterol. Lowers triglycerides. Increases HDL ("good") cholesterol. Reduces the need for drugs.
*Increases your strength.
* Increases your flexibility.
* Increases your stamina.
* Improves your heart function. More blood is pumped per beat, carrying more oxygen to all cells.
* Improves muscle efficiency; your muscles work better.
* Lowers blood sugar, reducing the risk of diabetes.
* Reduces the risk of heart attack and of developing blood clots in the brain.
* Increases bone density so there is less risk of osteoporosis and fractures.
* Improves balance so there is less risk of falls and fractures.
Souce: Dr Dean Ornish, The Spectrum