The Role Of Physical Exercise In Preventing Disease And Improving The Quality Of Life

Over the last decade studies have shown that physical exercise plays an important role in maintaining an individual's psycho-physical balance. In particular, it has been demonstrated that prolonged regular physical activity (now defined in scientific publications as chronic physical activity) helps to significantly reduce the incidence of neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases, which are often associated with ageing, while at the same time bolstering the immune system. Promoting physical activity therefore helps preventing today's major health challenges, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiorespiratory diseases, obesity, osteoporosis, arthritis, and cancer, thus leading to a reduction in healthcare costs and freeing up resources for future generations. The volume will be an essential reading for all health professionals and for residents in medicine and in health and physical exercise.

Over the last decade studies have shown that physical exercise plays an important role in maintaining an individual's psycho-physical balance. In particular, it has been demonstrated that prolonged regular physical activity (now defined in scientific publications as chronic physical activity) helps to significantly reduce the incidence of neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases, which are often associated with ageing, while at the same time bolstering the immune system.

Promoting physical activity therefore helps preventing today's major health challenges, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiorespiratory diseases, obesity, osteoporosis, arthritis, and cancer, thus leading to a reduction in healthcare costs and freeing up resources for future generations.

The volume will be an essential reading for all health professionals and for residents in medicine and in health and physical exercise.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Vincent F Carr, DO, MSA, FACC, FACP(Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences)
Description:This is an excellent compendium of the current understanding of the role of exercise in human metabolism. An impressive list of world experts in muscle metabolism contribute chapters that clinicians will find easy to understand.
Purpose:The intent is to review the current literature of muscle metabolism and how it pertains to exercise physiology and then go a step further to correlate this information to clinical topics such as obesity, the metabolic syndrome, type II diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The book pulls together the basic science with the clinical applications very well.
Audience:The intended audience appears to be both current and future researchers in muscle metabolism, but the book will serve clinical investigators as well.
Features:The book does an excellent job of reviewing the literature of basic molecular muscle biology. A significant contribution is the elucidation of the recent research of muscle aging in a clinically oriented manner that presents a valuable explanation of how physical exercise can prevent and treat obesity. Finally, it presents valuable specific advice for counseling patients in the value of exercise to improve their quality of life.
Assessment:This is a significant addition to both a clinician's and a researcher's library. It defines the state-of-the-art of the current understanding of muscle metabolism and how it relates to some of the major metabolic diseases encountered in epidemic proportions today.

Front Matter....Pages I-XVI Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Skeletal Muscle Plasticity....Pages 3-22 Physical Inactivity is the Main Cause of the Metabolic Syndrome....Pages 23-33 Front Matter....Pages 35-35 Exercise-Induced Mitochondrial Biogenesis in Skeletal Muscle....Pages 37-60 Genetic Vs. Acquired Fitness: Cardiomyocyte Adaptations....Pages 61-81 Molecular Modifications Induced by Physical Exercise: A Significant Role in Disease Prevention....Pages 83-99 Front Matter....Pages 101-101 The Contribution of Reactive Oxygen Species in Sarcopenia and Muscle Aging....Pages 103-111 Front Matter....Pages 113-113 Mitochondria: The Dark Side....Pages 115-132 Mitochondrial Pathogenesis of Myopathies Due to Collagen VI Mutations....Pages 133-144 Mitochondria in Cell Life and Death....Pages 145-158 Front Matter....Pages 159-159 Evaluation of Nutritional State in Individuals that Practice Fitness....Pages 161-170 Physical Exercise for the Prevention and Treatment of Obesity....Pages 171-179 Front Matter....Pages 181-181 Techniques for Assessing the Quality of Life with a Particular Emphasis on Physical Exercise....Pages 183-190 Effects of Physical Exercise on the Quality of Life of Individuals with Diabetes and Obesity....Pages 191-201 A Longitudinal Investigation of Physical Activity and Health Behaviors in Italian University Students....Pages 203-217 Back Matter....Pages 219-221 The aim of this volume is to underline that promoting physical activity is crucial to preventing illness and maintaining our health, thus leading to a reduction in healthcare costs. Over the last decade studies have shown that physical exercise plays an important role in maintaining an individual's psycho-physical balance. Physical activity therefore helps in tackling today's major health challenges, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiorespiratory diseases. Over the last decade studies have shown that physical exercise plays an important role in maintaining an individual's psycho-physical balance. This text explains that prolonged regular physical activity helps to reduce the incidence of neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases