Is yoga beneficial for cancer survivors?

Physical activity and exercise have been found to help cancer survivors to improve fitness, reduce fatigue, and is associated with better survival. In a paper published in BMC Cancer, with Dr. Laurien Buffart as first author, we systematically reviewed and meta-analysed the results of existing randomized controlled trial (RCT) testing the effects of yoga on physical and psychosocial outcomes in cancer patients and survivors. Sixteen publications of 13 RCTs met the inclusion criteria, of which one included patients with lymphomas and the others focused on patients with breast cancer.

Of the outcomes studied in more than three studies among patients with breast cancer, we found large reductions in distress, anxiety, and depression, moderate reductions in fatigue, moderate increases in general quality of life, emotional function and social function, and a small increase in functional well-being. Evidence for effects on physical function and sleep was not found. We concluded that yoga appeared to be a feasible intervention and that beneficial effects on self-reported physical and psychosocial wellbeing were found among  patients with breast cancer, but no evidence was found for beneficial effects on physical function.

Micro-level economic factors and incentives in children's obesogenic behaviors

To date, most research on environments that may encourage children to eat too much and move too little, i.e. so-called obesogenic environments, has focused on physical and socio-cultural environments. Such environments determine what foods and physical activity opportunities are available and accessible (physical environment) and what is socially and culturally appropriate, acceptable and encouraged.The role of economic factors has been investigated to a much lesser extent. Our objective was to explore the association of micro-level economic factors and incentives with sports activities and intake of soft drinks and fruit juice in 10-12 year-old school children across Europe, and to explore price sensitivity in children's soft drink consumption and correlates of this price sensitivity. This study that was part of the ENERGY project was just published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.
Data for the study originate from a cross-sectional survey undertaken in seven European countries (Belgium, Greece, Hungary, Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia and Spain) in 2010 among more than 7000 10-12 year-old school children and 6000 of their parents
Economic factors were found to be associated with children's sports participation and sugary drink consumption. Parents' financial support was found to be an important correlate of children's sports activities i.e. children whose parents financially supported their sports activities were more likely to engage in sports. Children's pocket money was a strong correlate of soft drink consumption; more pocket money was associated with more soft drinks. The majority of the responding children reported to expect that significantly higher prices of soft drinks would lead them to buy less soft drinks.

Family influences on children's soft drink and juice intakes

With the recently published paper in the New England Journal of Medicine, the evidence that sugary drinks contribute to unnecessary weight gain in children and adolescents is becoming more and more convincing.
The aim of a study we just published in e-pub in the scientific journal Appetite was to investigate associations of family-related factors with children's fruit drink/juice and soft drink consumption. We used the ENERGY study data from >7000 11 year old children and one of their parents from eight countries across Europe. We analyzed if the children's self-reported fruit drink/juice and soft drink intake and a range of family environment and parenting factors were associated. We looked at such factors as parental modeling (i.e. parents' own juice and soft drink intakes), availability of juice and soft drinks at home, whether parents monitored their children's intakes, their self-efficacy, parents' permissiveness, negotiations regarding intakes, communicating health beliefs, et cetera. Three of the 11 family-related factors considered (modeling, availability, and family consumption) were positively associated with children's fruit drink/juice and soft drink intake. Thus, children's intakes were on average higher when their parents had high intakes themselves, when drinks were readily available at home, and when family consumption was higher. Additionally, three other factors (permissiveness, monitoring, and self-efficacy) were solely associated with soft drink intake, i.e. children of parents who were more permissive regarding soft drinks, and who did not monitor children's intakes, and with lower self-efficacy drank more soft drinks. These results contribute to the body of evidence regarding the importance of the home environment for children's soft drink intakes. Most interventions aiming at contributing to the promotion of health behaviors in school-aged children are school-based and fail to involve the family; our study once more points to the importance of family, and especially parent, involvement.

ecancer TV covers our research on exercise among cancer patients

At the the UK National Cancer Research Institute Cancer Conference held in Liverpool, UK two weeks ago, ecancer TV covered our research on exercise = medicine, please see http://ecancer.org/tv/pubdate/1723

Annual Dutch meeting for the European Regional Development Fund is held at VU University medical center

This morning the annual meeting of Dutch regions regarding the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) was held at our University Medical center here in Amsterdam. The 'West' region of the Netherlands, i.e. the Randstad provinces organised this annual meeting, highlighting the projects realised through ERDF in this region's ERDF program called Kansen voor West (Chances for West). After a few words of welcome by the representative of the province Elvira Sweet, Ruud van Raak, the program manager for Kansen voor West, and myself on behalf of the Vu University medical center, prof. Guus van Dongen highlighted VUmc's Medical Imaging Center's ambitions and how 'kansen voor west' had enabled an important step by providing support for a PET-MRI center on our campus. After these introductions, the representatives of the different Dutch regions visited different parts of the medical Imaging facilities on campus.

A symposium to report the results of the ENERGY project

This morning a final ENERGY symposium was held at VU University medical center to report the results of this project to our colleagues within VUmc, the VU University and from other Dutch research centers. ENERGY stands for EuropeaN Energy balance Research to prevent excessive weight Gain among Youth, and is a European Commission funded project for which we recently submitted our final report to the commission. Last summer we already presented our main results to an international audience in a special ENERGY symposium at the European Congres on Obesity in Lyon.Today we presented the latest update of our results to our local and regional colleagues here in Amsterdam. The publications regarding the ENERGY projects are available at the ENERGY website's specific publications page, and the first overall results were published in the open access PLOS One journal.

Exercise = medicine in cancer rehabilitation?

These days the UK National Cancer Research Institute Cancer Conference is held in Liverpool, UK. Yesterday afternoon a special symposium was held on primary and secondary cancer prevention, with a specific emphasis on lifestyle interventions. The session is chaired by Prof Annie Anderson from the University of Dundee, with contributions from Profs Wendy Demark Wahnefield from the University of Alabama and Michelle Harvie from the University Hospital South Manchester. My talk was on he importance of physical activity for cancer survivors. Evidence from recent meta analyses suggest that physical activity is important -not only for cancer prevention- but also for cancer rehabilitation. It is, however, unclear what the frequency, intensity, type or duration of physical activity is best, and what important mediators of moderators for the positive effects of physical activity and exercise are. Ongoing research at our center, especially the Alpe H'Huzes Cancer Rehabilitation program (A-CaRe) and Predicting OptimaL cAncer Rehabilitation and Supportive care Polaris study, will contribute to further insights in why, what and for whom physical activity for cancer patients and survivors is important.
(Since arriving in Liverpool, the Beatles can not be avoided.)