Cross-sectional associations of practicing YOSAKOI Soran and physical functions of middle-aged and older women / 体力科学

Insufficient physical function is strongly associated with decreased activity of daily living and health-related quality of life in middle-aged and older women. YOSAKOI Soran is one of the traditional Japanese dances to have naruko (wooden hand clappers) in their hands as they dance and incorporate the phrase from the Soran Bushi in their song. YOSAKOI Soran festivals can be seen being held in various places across the country, proving its growing popularity with residents as a celebration regardless of age or occupation. The purpose of this study was to examine the cross-sectional associations between YOSAKOI Soran and the physical functions of middle-aged and older women. A total of 30 middle-aged and older women practicing YOSAKOI Soran (YOSAKOI group) and 163 middle-aged and older women who had not practiced YOSAKOI Soran (control group) participated in this cross-sectional study. Handgrip strength, 30-second chair stand performance, and flexibility were used to measure physical functions. Handgrip strength was not significantly differed between the YOSAKOI group and the control group (P = 0.79). 30-second chair stand performance and flexibility were significantly higher in the YOSAKOI group than in the control group (both P < 0.05). These results remained significant after adjusting for age and body mass index (both P < 0.05). The present results suggest that practicing YOSAKOI Soran may increase lower extremity function and flexibility in middle-aged and older women.

Comparison of passive torque during shoulder internal rotation before and after a pitching in college baseball pitchers / 体力科学

Previous study reported that baseball pitchers had a decreased shoulder internal rotation (IR) range of motion after pitching. However, whether the decreased range of motion associated with pitching is caused by tightness of the posterior shoulder has not been clarified yet. The joint stiffness in the passive torque can be compared with posterior shoulder tightness before and after pitching. Hence, this study aimed to compare shoulder IR stiffness based on passive torque before and after pitching in baseball pitcher. Eleven health male collage baseball pitchers were recruited. Passive torque during IR (max IR, peak torque and stiffness) of dominant and non-dominant arms was measured using an isokinetic dynamometer. Measurements were taken before, after, and post 24 hours after pitching (105 pitches). It was observed that after pitching, max IR and peak torque were significantly decreased compared to those before pitching. However, there was no difference in the stiffness of passive torque among three measurements. In conclusion, healthy college baseball pitchers have a decreased IR range of motion after pitching. However, this result is not due to posterior shoulder tissue tightness, but because of altered stretch tolerance.

Sedentary behavior and cardiometabolic disease: Experimental evidence and mechanisms / 体力科学

Sedentary behavior is ubiquitous in modern lifestyles and defined as any waking behavior with an energy expenditure of ≤ 1.5 metabolic equivalents while sitting, reclining, or lying. Epidemiological evidence suggests that high volumes of sedentary behavior are independently associated with an elevated risk of cardiometabolic disease and all-cause mortality. By contrast, a growing body of experimental evidence showing the potential benefits for cardiometabolic risks of reducing and breaking up sedentary time. Therefore, recent physical activity guidelines indicate the importance of reducing and regularly interrupting prolonged sitting. In this narrative review, we summarize the findings from experimental studies that investigated the acute impacts of prolonged, uninterrupted sitting and interrupting sitting on several cardiometabolic risk factors, including vascular function, blood pressure, and glucose metabolism. Here, we highlight experimental evidence from controlled laboratory trials that may lead to a better understanding of biological plausibility, the causal structure of relationships, and potential mechanistic insight on linking sedentary behavior with adverse cardiometabolic outcomes. Our literature review collectively suggests that in addition to increasing moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity, reducing sedentary time may contribute to cardiometabolic health. However, the recent evidence remains limited and inconclusive, thus future studies are needed to develop a deeper causal and mechanistic understanding of the biological pathways through which prolonged sitting can adversely influence cardiometabolic health outcomes.