Aging, Fitness, Prevention, Seniors

Healthspan versus lifespan: The vital role of muscle in successful aging

The extension of life expectancy in the 20th century and beyond is one of humanity’s greatest achievements. However, it is crucial to draw a distinction between lifespan — the amount of time between birth and death — and healthspan, which is the amount of time during which a person is healthy within their lifespan. Older people are spending more time in poor health, and this represents a major individual and public health burden.

Illustration of a heavy-set man jogging in a city park.
Fitness, Genetics, Weight Loss

Your genetic profile may have a dominant effect on how well you lose weight through exercise. This might explain why two people who do an identical workout will see very different results.

Child Health, Fitness, Injury Prevention, Orthopedics

More children are getting ACL injuries – here’s what could be done to prevent them

One particularly nasty sporting injury is damage to the ACL – the anterior cruciate ligament in the knee, which attaches the thigh (femur) and shin (tibia) bones. ACL injuries have rocketed among children in England, and our research suggests that one cause of this is that children are not developing basic movement skills, such as jumping and hopping.