Holistic (or mind-body integrating) movement practices with origins in eastern philosophy and culture are receiving a great deal of attention recently. For many adults, yoga, t’ai chi, qi gong, and various dance forms are joining the treadmill and exercise bike as way to safely and effectively increase physical activity.
The researchers said their findings could be used to create a simple screening tool to identify people at higher risk for rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease that causes pain, swelling, stiffness and loss of function in the joints, and can also affect other body organs.
The team at the Arthritis Research U.K. Epidemiology Unit examined data from more than 25,000 people, aged 40 to 79, who were followed over a number of years. When they compared 184 people who developed rheumatoid arthritis with people who did not, the researchers found that smoking, obesity and diabetes all were linked to an increased risk.
The investigators also discovered that drinking small amounts of alcohol and being in a higher social class were associated with a reduced risk of developing the painful joint disease.
Women who had more than two children and breastfed for a shorter amount of time also were found to have a higher risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, the study authors said.
The study was published in the March 17 issue of the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
Although the study found an association between certain lifestyle factors and development of rheumatoid arthritis in the study population, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.
No comments:
Post a Comment