Object: Increased importance on academic achievement has resulted in many school districts focusing on improved academic performance leading to reductions in physical education time. The purpose was to examine the effects of 45 minutes of daily physical education on the cognitive ability, fitness performance and body composition of African American elementary and middle school youth.
Methods: Participants completing the informed consent in grades 2nd to 8th were included in the study. A pre/posttest design was used with repeated measures analysis of variance. Experimental and control school participants were pretested on the cognitive measures (ie, Fluid Intelligence and Perceptual Speed) and Fitnessgram® physical fitness test items (eg, aerobic capacity, muscular strength and muscular endurance, body composition) in September 2009 and posttested in May 2010.
Results: Experimental elementary and middle school participants observed significantly greater improvements compared with control elementary and middle school participants on 7 of 16 fitness and body composition measures and on 8 of 26 cognitive measures. These fitness, body composition, and cognitive improvement differences were more noticeable among elementary and middle school females.
Conclusions: Providing 45 minutes of daily physical education can perhaps increase cognitive ability while increasing fitness and decreasing the prevalence of overweight and obese youth.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/jpah.10.2.185 | DOI Listing |
Sci Rep
January 2025
Innovation Centre of Nursing Research, TaiHe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China.
The literature has documented conflicting and inconsistent associations between muscle-to-fat ratios and metabolic diseases. Additionally, different adipose tissues can have contrasting effects, with visceral adipose tissue being identified as particularly harmful. This study aimed to explore the relationship between the ratio of the lean mass index (LMI) to the visceral fat mass index (VFMI) and cardiometabolic disorders, including dyslipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes, as previous research on this topic is lacking.
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January 2025
Postgraduate Program in Food and Nutrition at the Federal University of Piauí (PPGAN/UFPI), Teresina, Piauí, Brazil.
Body composition is a determining factor in the physical performance of cyclists, directly influencing efficiency and power during competitions. Understanding these aspects can help optimize training and maximize results. This study aimed to analyze the influence of body composition on physical performance in mountain bike athletes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Physiol Cell Physiol
January 2025
Departments of Surgery and Oncology, University of Calgary Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute, University of Calgary.
Cancer cachexia is a multifaceted metabolic syndrome characterized by muscle wasting, fat redistribution, and metabolic dysregulation, commonly associated with advanced cancer but sometimes also evident in early-stage disease. More subtle body composition changes have also been reported in association with cancer, including sarcopenia, myosteatosis, and increased fat radiodensity. Emerging evidence reveals that body composition changes including sarcopenia, myosteatosis, and increased fat radiodensity, arise from distinct biological mechanisms and significantly impact survival outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Adolesc Young Adult Oncol
January 2025
Deakin University, Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), Geelong, Australia.
To investigate cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), body composition, health behaviors, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adolescent and young adult cancer survivors (AYA-CS) compared with age-matched counterparts without a cancer diagnosis. This cross-sectional study recruited participants aged 15-25 years at the time of their cancer diagnosis and ≥ 5 years post-treatment. Participants completed cardiopulmonary exercise testing, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, food diaries, physical activity (PA), fatigue, and HRQoL questionnaires.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClin Nutr ESPEN
January 2025
Brigham Young University, Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science Department, Provo, Utah 84602. Electronic address:
Background And Aims: Sarcopenia, defined as a muscle mass loss and function, is increasingly recognized in pediatric populations, particularly in childhood obesity. Therefore, it is necessary to have measurements that can distinguish between muscle and fat mass. Methods of body composition such as Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) provide accurate assessments of body composition, but they are resource-intensive and impractical for routine monitoring in clinical or community settings.
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