Effectiveness and Components of Health Behavior Interventions on Increasing Physical Activity Among Healthy Young and Middle-Aged Adults: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analyses.

Physical inactivity contributes to various health risks; however, approximately one-third of the global population remains insufficiently active. Many researchers have attempted to increase physical activity levels; however, the effectiveness and the specific components of these interventions remain unclear. This systematic review with meta-analyses utilized a behavior change technique taxonomy to identify and extract effective intervention components, aiming to develop more efficient programs to promote physical activity.

Robustness of the self-referential process under normobaric hypoxia: an fNIRS study using the GLM and homologous cortical functional connectivity analyses.

Introduction: Hypoxia has been reported to impair psychological functions, such as working memory and decision-making. However, few studies have examined hypoxia's effect on social cognition.

Methods: Using a self-referential task, the present study investigated normobaric hypoxia's effect on the self-referential process.

Weight-loss-independent benefits of exercise on liver steatosis and stiffness in Japanese men with NAFLD.

Background & Aims: A weight-loss-independent beneficial effect of exercise on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) management has been reported, but the underlying mechanism is unknown. To help determine this mechanism, the effects of exercise on individual tissues (liver, adipose tissue, and skeletal muscle) were retrospectively studied.

Methods: Data from Japanese obese men with NAFLD in a 3-month exercise regimen were analysed and compared with those in a 3-month dietary restriction program designed to achieve weight loss.

A Novel Exercise for Enhancing Visuospatial Ability in Older Adults with Frailty: Development, Feasibility, and Effectiveness.

We aimed to develop a novel exercise to improve visuospatial ability and evaluate its feasibility and effectiveness in older adults with frailty. A non-randomized preliminary trial was conducted between June 2014 and March 2015. We recruited 35 adults with frailty (24 women), aged 66-92 years.

A Single Motivational Lecture Can Promote Modest Weight Loss: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Obesity is a public health problem worldwide. To widely disseminate weight-loss interventions across the target population, a cost-effective approach is needed.

Objective: We aimed to test whether a single motivational lecture could promote weight loss.

Regular aerobic exercise improves sexual function assessed by the Aging Males' Symptoms questionnaire in adult men.

The leading cause of aging-induced male-specific disorders such as physical, mental and/or sexual symptoms is testosterone deficiency. Although aerobic exercise is suggested to improves circulating testosterone levels, physical fitness, depressive symptoms, and sexual function, the effect of regular aerobic exercise on aging-induced disorders has not yet been clarified. Here we performed cross-sectional and interventional studies to identify the effect of aerobic exercise on aging-induced disorders assessed by the Aging Males' Symptoms questionnaire (AMS).

Web-based intervention to promote weight-loss maintenance using an activity monitor: A randomized controlled trial.

The present study examined whether a web-based intervention could promote weight-loss maintenance, after weight loss. The study was a two-phase, 27-month, randomized controlled trial conducted in Ibaraki, Japan, from 2014 to 2017; 133 participants were recruited through local newspaper advertisements. The eligibility criteria were as follows: age of 40-64 years, body mass index of 25-40 kg/m, and having at least one metabolic syndrome component.

Association of Foot Structure with the Strength of Muscles that Move the Ankle and Physical Performance.

The human foot plays an important role in supporting body weight, maintaining postural balance, and absorbing ground reaction forces. Although many studies have indicated that a causal relationship exists between foot structure and alterations in lower extremity kinematics, there is little evidence regarding the possible association of foot structure with strength of muscles that move the ankle and physical performance. A total of 67 adult men with a mean age of 51.

Mild-to-Moderate Hallux Valgus Does Not Decrease Ankle Muscle Strength in Middle-Aged Japanese Women: A Comparative Study.

Extreme hallux valgus has been documented to be related to lower functional ability and health-related quality of life. It also has a negative effect on foot structure and biomechanical characteristics, which in turn may affect muscle strength in the foot and ankle. Thus, the purposes of this study were to determine whether there is a difference of ankle muscle strength in varied hallux valgus deformities and to investigate correlations between hallux valgus angles and ankle muscle strength.

Relationships between serum free fatty acid and pulse pressure amplification in overweight/obese men: insights from exercise training and dietary modification.

Pulse pressure amplification (i.e., the ratio of peripheral to central pulse pressure) is a strong predictor of cardiovascular events.

Increasing Physical Activity Might Be More Effective to Improve Foot Structure and Function Than Weight Reduction in Obese Adults.

Obesity is reported to be an important factor affecting foot structure and function. For obese individuals, weight reduction or increasing weight physical activity could be an effective approach to improve foot structure and function. The present study sought to determine the effect of weight reduction and increasing physical activity on foot structure and function in obese Japanese and to investigate which intervention is more beneficial.

Sexual Function Is an Indicator of Central Arterial Stiffness and Arterial Stiffness Gradient in Japanese Adult Men.

Background: As arterial stiffness increases in the absence of subjective symptoms, a personal indicator that reflects increased risk of cardiovascular disease is necessary. Penile erection is regulated by vascular function, and atherosclerosis affects the penile artery earlier than it affects the coronary and carotid arteries. Therefore, we hypothesized that deterioration of erectile function could be a marker of increased risk for cardiovascular disease.

Exercise habituation is effective for improvement of periodontal disease status: a prospective intervention study.

Background And Purpose: Periodontal disease is closely related to lifestyle-related diseases and obesity. It is widely known that moderate exercise habits lead to improvement in lifestyle-related diseases and obesity. However, little research has been undertaken into how exercise habits affect periodontal disease.

Randomized trial of amino acid mixture combined with physical activity promotion for abdominal fat reduction in overweight adults.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of arginine, alanine, and phenylalanine mixture (A-mix) ingestion at 1,500 mg/day in combination with the promotion of physical activity for abdominal fat reduction in overweight adults.

Methods: A placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel-group, randomized trial for 12 weeks combined with a 4-week follow-up period was conducted at a single center in Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan, between December 2016 and May 2017. Data were analyzed between June and August 2017.

Aerobic exercise training normalizes central blood pressure regulation after oral glucose loading in overweight/obese men.

Central systolic blood pressure (cSBP) decreases after a meal or glucose challenge, but this response is impaired in obesity-related disorders. We investigated whether aerobic exercise training improves cSBP regulation during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in overweight/obese men. Thirteen overweight/obese men and six normal-weight men (as an alternative comparison instead of a no-exercise group) completed a 12-week aerobic exercise training program.

Weight reduction does not induce an undesirable decrease in muscle mass, muscle strength, or physical performance in men with obesity: a pilot study.

Purpose: To date, there have been no reports on whether weight reduction causes decreases in muscle mass, muscle strength, or physical performance that could lead to health problems. Thus, in this pilot study, we investigated the appropriateness of the changes in muscle mass, muscle strength and physical performance after weight reduction.

Methods: Obese men who completed a weight reduction program to decrease and maintain a body mass index (BMI) of less than 25 kg/m2 for one year were recruited for the study.

Does Weight Reduction Affect Foot Structure and the Strength of the Muscles That Move the Ankle in Obese Japanese Adults?

Obesity is considered a major influential factor of foot structure and function. It has been reported to result in detrimental alterations of foot structure indicators and a decrease in muscle strength, which can lower the quality of life and increase the morbidity of obesity. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of weight reduction on foot structure and the strength of the muscles that move the ankle in obese adults.

Which cytokine is the most related to weight loss-induced decrease in arterial stiffness in overweight and obese men?

Obesity and increased arterial stiffness are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. A well-known characteristic of obesity is the chronic low-grade inflammatory state, and it causes elevation of arterial stiffness. Weight-loss reduces arterial stiffness and inflammatory level in obese individuals.

Vigorous Physical Activity is Associated with Regular Aerobic Exercise-Induced Increased Serum Testosterone Levels in Overweight/Obese Men.

Testosterone is a male sex hormone and low circulating testosterone levels are associated with various health disorders in men. Obesity results in reduced circulating testosterone levels in men. Previously, we demonstrated that lifestyle modifications (combination of aerobic exercise and dietary modification) increase circulating testosterone levels in overweight/obese men.

Dose-ranging pilot randomized trial of amino acid mixture combined with physical activity promotion for reducing abdominal fat in overweight adults.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the effective dose of an amino acid mixture comprising arginine, alanine, and phenylalanine combined with physical activity promotion in reducing abdominal fat among overweight adults.

Methods: A 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging, pilot trial was conducted in Mito, Japan, from January through April 2016, and the data were analyzed from May through November 2016. The study participants were 35 overweight adults, aged 20-64 years, with no regular exercise habit.

Changes in muscle strength after diet-induced weight reduction in adult men with obesity: a prospective study.

Background And Objective: The benefits of weight reduction for musculoskeletal disorders are well understood. Steep declines in muscle mass following considerable weight reduction can decrease muscle strength and, consequently, physical performance. However, only a limited number of studies have examined the changes in muscle mass and strength in the context of interventional weight reduction programs.

Characteristics of foot morphology and their relationship to gender, age, body mass index and bilateral asymmetry in Japanese adults.

Background: Different characteristics of foot morphology are commonly accompanied by altering lower extremity biomechanical characteristics and foot function. Clarifying what factors affect foot morphology is helpful in understanding the basis of foot deformity and foot dysfunction.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate characteristics of foot morphology and whether related factors such as gender, age, body mass index (BMI) and bilateral asymmetry have an impact on foot morphology.

Effects of increasing physical activity on foot structure and ankle muscle strength in adults with obesity.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of increasing physical activity on foot structure and ankle muscle strength in adults with obesity and to verify whether the rate of change in foot structure is related to that in ankle muscle strength. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-seven adults with obesity completed a 12-week program in which the intensity of physical activity performed was gradually increased. Physical activity was monitored using a three-axis accelerometer.

Weight loss may be a better approach for managing musculoskeletal conditions than increasing muscle mass and strength.

To prevent or remedy musculoskeletal conditions, the relationship between obesity and the characteristics of muscle mass and strength need to be clarified. [Subjects and Methods] A total of 259 Japanese males aged 30-64 years were classified into 4 groups according to the Japanese obesity criteria. Body composition was evaluated, and handgrip strength and knee extensor strength were measured for the upper and lower extremities, respectively.

Increased physical activity has a greater effect than reduced energy intake on lifestyle modification-induced increases in testosterone.

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions worldwide. Obesity results in reduced serum testosterone levels, which causes many disorders in men. Lifestyle modifications (increased physical activity and calorie restriction) can increase serum testosterone levels.