- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Obesity May Raise Kids' Allergy Risk
- Herbal Remedy Could Halt Peanut Allergy
- Asthmatics Who Quit Smoking May Reverse Lung Damage
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Acupuncture Eases Breast Cancer Treatment Side Effects
- No Verdict Yet on Grape Seed Extract vs. Breast Cancer
- Yoga May Bring Calm to Breast Cancer Treatment
- ANIMAL CARE
- Rest Easy. When It Comes to Swine Flu, Your Pet Is Safe
- Separation Anxiety, Canine-Style
- Safe Toys for Dogs
- BONES & JOINTS
- Rheumatoid Arthritis a Threat to the Heart
- Yoga Can Ease Lower Back Pain
- Rheumatoid Arthritis Rising Among U.S. Women
- CANCER
- Broccoli May Help Battle Breast Cancer
- Smoking Exposure Now Linked to Colon, Breast Cancers
- Asthmatics Who Quit Smoking May Reverse Lung Damage
- CAREGIVING
- Rapid Infant Weight Gain Linked to Childhood Obesity
- Weekend Admission May Be Riskier for GI Bleeding
- Study Casts Doubt on Influential Hospital Safety Survey
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Mercury in Fish Linked to High Blood Pressure
- Salt Boosts Blood Pressure in High-Risk Patients
- Years of Exposure to Traffic Pollution Raises Blood Pressure
- COSMETIC
- With Psoriasis, the Internet May Offer Hope
- Health Tip: After Liposuction
- Gum Chewing May Cut Craving for Snacks
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Study Links Osteoporosis Drugs to Jaw Trouble
- Sports Drinks May Be Tough on Teeth
- Gum Disease May Reactivate AIDS Virus
- DIABETES
- 'Standard' Glucose Test May Be Wrong One for Obese Children
- Arthritis Hits More Than Half of Diabetics
- Boosting Vitamin D Can Do a Heart Good
- DIET, NUTRITION
- Memory Loss Help from Brain Supplement Prevagen
- Holiday Eating Without the Guilt -- or the Pounds
- Go Healthy, Not Hungry for Holiday Eating
- DISABILITIES
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Old-Growth Forests Dying Off in U.S. West
- Pollution Particles Impair Blood Vessel Function
- Gas Cooking Might Up Your Cancer Risk
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Gene-Transfer Proves Safe for Vision Problem
- Nutrient-Rich Diet Lowers Risk of Age-Related Eye Disease
- Glaucoma Associated With Reading Impairments in Elderly
- FITNESS
- Tai Chi: An Ideal Exercise for Many People with Diabetes
- After a Stroke, Light Exercise Gets Hands, Arms Working Again
- FDA Mandates New Warnings for Botox
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- Soothing Imagery May Help Rid Some Kids of Stomach Pain
- Olive Oil May Protect Against Bowel Disease
- Traditional Nonsurgical GERD Treatments Not Impressive
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Internet Program Helps Problem Drinkers
- Pay Attention to Signs That Say You're Too Fatigued to Drive
- Sleep and Do Better
- HEAD & NECK
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- 'Cell Phone Elbow' -- A New Ill for the Wired Age
- Combating Myths About Seasonal Allergies
- E-Mailing Your Way to Healthier Habits
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Western Diet Linked To Heart Disease, Metabolic Syndrome
- Implanted Defibrillators Boost Long-Term Survival
- Kids With Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Heart Trouble
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Swine Flu Now Reported in All 50 States
- Swine Flu Closes Three Schools in NYC
- Grapefruit Compound Inhibits Hepatitis C Virus
- KID'S HEALTH
- Most Depressed Teens Don't Get Treatment
- Scary Toxins Make Halloween Face Paints Questionable
- Family Medicine Cabinet Top Source Of Kid's Poisonings
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Varicose Veins May Mask Larger Problem
- More Vitamin C May Mean Less Chance of Gout
- Whole Grains, Bran May Fight Hypertension in Men
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Living Alone Increases Odds of Developing Dementia
- Keeping a Healthy Holiday Balance
- Bullying Seems to Affect Kids Years Later
- PAIN
- Alleviating Rheumatoid Arthritis
- 'Cell Phone Elbow' -- A New Ill for the Wired Age
- Tai Chi May Help Ease Fibromyalgia
- PREGNANCY
- Exercise Boosts Bone Density in Breast-Feeding Moms
- Mom's Extra Pregnancy Pounds May Raise Child's Heart Risks
- Exercise As Well As Acupuncture, May Ease Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
- SENIORS
- Tai Chi May Help Ease Fibromyalgia
- The Healthy Habits of Centenarians
- Vitamin D May Help Keep Aging at Bay
Exercise, Weight Control May Keep Fibromyalgia at Bay
By eholistic.com Published: 04/30/2010
Women who are overweight or obese appear to have an increased risk of developing the chronic pain syndrome known as fibromyalgia, a new study suggests.
If they are also sedentary, the risk is even greater, said lead researcher Paul Mork, of Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway.
The study is published in the May issue of Arthritis Care & Research.
Fibromyalgia is marked by widespread pain lasting more than three months. The pain strikes so-called "tender points" in the neck, shoulders, back, hips, arms and legs.
The condition is also marked by fatigue without apparent cause, mood disturbances, sleep problems and headaches. More women than men have it, and experts don't thoroughly understand its cause.
The condition may be due to dysfunction in the nervous system and other problems, and it is thought to be affected by genetic susceptibility.
In the new study, Mork and his colleagues turned to a data base of nearly 16,000 women in Norway who had responded to health surveys. Among the participants were 380 who developed fibromyalgia during the 11-year follow-up.
Mork's team compared the data from patients with the healthy respondents, including body-mass index (BMI) and exercise habits.
Exercise and a healthy body weight were found to be protective.
"According to previous findings reported in the literature, we expected that regular leisure-time physical exercise would have a protective effect on future development of fibromyalgia [FM]," Mork said. "However, we only found a weak association between development of FM and exercise. However, it should be noted that we were not able to differ between different types of exercise, and it might be possible that some exercise types are more beneficial than others in protecting against future development of FM," he added.
"Women who reported exercising four times per week [or more] had a 29 percent lower risk of fibromyalgia compared with inactive women," Mork said in a news release about the study.
Those who exercised two to three times a week were about 11 percent less likely to get fibromyalgia.
Being overweight -- with a BMI of 25 or higher -- was a strong independent risk factor, with the heavier women having a 60 percent to 70 percent higher risk of developing the condition compared to the healthy weight women.
The overweight women who exercised an hour or more a week, however, were less likely to get the condition than were overweight women who were inactive.
Mork's advice: Regular exercise, which can help maintain weight, may serve as a "buffer" against the symptoms that eventually lead to fibromyalgia.
The results are entirely plausible, said Dr. Patrick Wood, senior medical adviser for the National Fibromyalgia Association, who cares for many fibromyalgia patients.
But with the condition, there are often the chicken-egg questions, he added, such as whether the pain leads to the inactivity or weight gain or vice versa. "It's difficult with any level of assurance to know what's driving what," Wood said. There could be underlying factors driving both excess weight and pain sensitivity, he noted.
The inflammation that is associated with obesity may heighten pain sensitivity, Wood added.
More study is needed, Wood said. Until more is known, however, he would advise people who want to avoid the condition to maintain a healthy weight and exercise regularly. That's especially wise for those with a family history of fibromyalgia, he stressed, because he has found that it does tend to run in families.
For those already diagnosed with the condition, Wood said, "some data show if you exercise and keep your weight down you may have less pain."
SOURCES: Patrick Wood, M.D., senior medical advisor, National Fibromyalgia Association, and family medicine physician, Renton, Wash.; Paul Mork, D.Phil., Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway; May 2010, Arthritis Care & Research Published on: April 29, 2010
