Study: Exercise can add up to five years to your life

By Bridget Creel

A Canadian study found that 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week can add up to five years to a person’s life span. Incorporating exercise into daily life has been linked to a healthy diet and overall lifestyle. Doctors pointed out that those who exercise use fewer medications and are less likely to have anxiety disorders. Even if people start exercise later in life, it is proven to still provide extreme benefits to the person and is better than a sedentary lifestyle.

Doctors also said that exercise is medicine and can reduce health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity because exercise controls blood glucose levels. For those who have those problems, it is important to consult with a doctor before engaging in exercise to have glucose levels monitored.

Study: Exercise can lower the risk of Parkinson’s disease

By Bridget Creel

Fox News published a health article that found any physical activity, whether it be daytime chores, a brisk walk or a bike commute to work, will lower the risk for Parkinson’s disease.

Even just a “medium amount” of physical activity was linked to lowering the chance of developing Parkinson’s disease. The article focused on a study conducted by researchers in Sweden. The participants in the study who had medium physical activity had a 43 percent lower risk of developing the disease, in comparison to those participants who had low physical activity.

“The protective effect of physical activity was further supported when we summarized all available evidence from published prospective cohort studies,” said Karin Wirdefeldt, an epidemiology, biostatistics and clinical neuroscience professor at Karolinska Institutet. “These findings are important for both the general population and for the healthcare of patients with Parkinson’s disease.”

Exercise lowers the chance of appearing depression symptoms

Exercise can help people who are experiencing symptoms of depression but it can also prevent the symptoms from even starting. If a person starts exercising before depressive symptoms start, they have a better chance of sticking to it. When people become deep in depression, it is difficult to encourage them to move and get outside or to the gym.

A recent study, published in an article by Everyday Health, used complex formulas that tested sleep disturbance, fatigue, irritability and anxiety at the ages of 23, 33, 42 and 50. The study design relied on complex statistical formulas and found that people who exercise more have fewer symptoms of depression. In addition, younger people who exercised more had fewer depression symptoms over time.

Marion Nestle tells Elon University Students, ‘Vote with fork and even better, vote with your vote.’

By Bridget Creel

Marion Nestle

Marion Nestle knows all about the obesity crisis in the United States. She knows all about food insecurity in the United States. Most importantly, she thinks that Elon students can make a difference, all they have to do is advocate.

On Tuesday, Nestle spoke to Elon students about all things related to food policy. She blamed all the negative outcomes of food policy on the farm bill.

The farm bill has everything to do with the problems that the society is experiencing with food and there are many reasons why people should care about it, she said.

“The Farm Bill, passed in 2014, is 357 pages of very difficult-to-read text. It’s got a 10 page table of contents, it causes American taxpayers 100 billion dollars a year and I think it’s fair to say that it lacks vision and is entirely politicized in every possible way,” she said.

The farm bill proves to be lengthy but also contains a lot of information about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which was created by the Department of Agriculture.

SNAP dominates the farm bill, she said, with 80 percent of the expenditure for the farm bill going toward the program and 20 percent of the funding going toward agriculture.

“What’s particularly unfortunate about this is that SNAP pays off for the American economy,” she said.

Whether it be through generating income or economic activity, the farm bill targets retailers and allows them to come out way ahead, she said.

When it comes to food marketing, the advertisements affect the public one way or another. Some people choose to ignore it, but on the other hand, there are certain groups that are targeted through the advertisements and respond in favor of the companies selling the products.

It is difficult to measure the amount of activity people are partaking in, and whether it has decreased in comparison to the past. However, what is obvious is that serving size and food consumption have increased, in addition to caloric intake, said Nestle.

So what does that have anything to do with Elon students? Better yet, how can Elon students make a difference for what is to come?

It comes down to knowledge, involvement and motivation for the topic. People should advocate for social responsibility and policy change, she said.

“Food is a great way to get involved in advocacy because you can make such a difference in a reasonably short time–just get out there and do it!” she said.

For more information on Marion Nestle, visit her website.