HEALTH NOTES

stairway To HEALTH

US researchers have found just a few minutes of vigorous stair climbing would be enough to improve cardiorespiratory fitness. Previous studies had shown that short bouts of vigorous exercise (sprint interval training) are effective when performed as a single session, with a few minutes of recovery between the intense bursts. For the study, a group of sedentary young adults vigorously climbed a three-flight stairwell three times a day, separated by one to four hours of recovery. They repeated the exercise three times each week over the course of six weeks. compared to a control group who did no exercise the stair climbers were fitter, stronger and also generated more power during a maximal cycling test.

MENTAL HEALTH Waiting Lists fear

In a survey of 1,000 GPS, conducted on behalf of the mental health charity Stem4, almost all (99%) feared that young people in the UK risk harm while waiting for specialist mental health treatment. Most GPS (90%) also thought mental health services for young people had deteriorated over the past two years. Stem4’s founder nihara Krause said: “even though this Government has promised more funding, nothing much has changed, except that we now know that more children and young people have a mental health condition.”

As BELLIES grow, brains shrink

BELLY fat has been linked to a new hazard. It seems people with excessive fat around their middles tend to have less grey matter in their brains than people of a healthier weight. researchers from Loughborough University and University college London measured the BMI and waistto-hip ratio of 9,652 middle-aged people and used MRI to scan brain volume. Those with a BMI of 30 or more (making them obese) and a high waist-to-hip ratio had a significantly lower average grey matter volume than those of healthy weight. Scientists are, however, unsure if brain shrinkage drives obesity or vice versa. Poor diet and lack of exercise could be responsible.