Editor’s choice – 19 January 2020 Pereira, A. M., Brito, J., Figueiredo, P., & Verhagen, E. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 5(1), e000606. (2019). Abstract In recent years, virtual sports or ‘eSports’ have grown exponentially both recreationally and at the professional level. eSports comprise several regulated video games played competitively, using electronic platforms. Some eSports competitions present a structure …
For the average marathon runner, excruciating pain is often inevitable during endurance runs, and popping a few painkillers before or during a race to make the pain more bearable seems like a no-brainer and is quite common. But a recent collaborative study by UP Sport, Exercise, Medicine and Lifestyle Institute (SEMLI) has raised concerns that neither athletes nor race organisers realise …
Highlights from Minneapolis More than 5,000 professionals from around the world gathered in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the end of May for the American College of Sports Medicine’s 35th Annual Meeting and 9th World Congress on Exercise is Medicine®. Attendees reconnected with friends, gained insights and celebrated several ACSM milestones, including EIM’s 10th anniversary. Here are just a few highlights: · …
By Dr Nicky Keay (@nickykfitness) Metabolic syndrome comprises a cluster of symptoms including: hypertension, dyslipidaemia, fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The underlying pathological process is insulin resistance which distorts metabolism. Temporal and mechanistic connections have been described between hyperinsulinaemia, obesity and insulin resistance. Insulin levels rise, potentially stimulated by an excess intake of refined carbohydrates and in addition the metabolic …
Undergraduate perspective on Sport & Exercise Medicine – a BJSM blog series By Johnson Pok-Him Tam (@tamph4) and Manroy Sahni (@manroysahni) Elite sport is results driven. Each generation of new athletes is pushing themselves to new limits, to reach new heights and eclipse records set by their predecessors. But what impact can this constant cauldron of pressure and expectation have on the …
Part-2 of the blog mini-series on youth By Dr Nicky Keay Recent reports reveal that children in Britain are amongst the least active in the world. At the other end of the spectrum there have been a cluster of articles outlining the pitfalls of early specialisation in a single sport. Regarding the reports of lack of physical activity amongst young people in Britain, this is …
Image credited to: Ryder Wear By Dr Nicky Keay nickykeay Health is not just the absence of illness, but rather the optimisation of all components of health: physical, mental and social. Exercise has numerous benefits on all these aspects. However, a recent article in the British Medical Journal described how exercise addiction can have detrimental physical, mental and social effects. Dedication and determination are valuable qualities required to be …
What is your current area of interest/research? Chronobiology: the study of sleep and circadian rhythms as they relate to both general health (esp obesity and cardiometabolic diseases) and sports performance What is the most fascinating or complex realisation you have come to about this area so far? Sleep is a “not negotiable” factor when it comes to performance and health …
A BBC poll into the use of performance enhancing drugs at every level of sport concluded it “is fast becoming a crisis”. Results of the poll stated that 35% of amateur sports people say they know someone who has doped, and 8% said they had taken steroids. The investigation found that 49% of participants though that performance enhancing drugs are …
Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) remains a leading cause of mortality in athletes during sport participation. A position statement by the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) released at the end of 2016 and endorsed by 16 major international sports medicine and two cardiology societies (including SASMA) is regarded as a major step forward in the cardiovascular care of the …