Research showing good reasons to practice Taekwondo

[lifespantkd]

I keep encountering research that directly or indirectly provides good reasons for practicing Taekwondo. So, instead of posting a thread unique to a research study, literature review, or meta analysis each time I find it, I thought I'd start a thread that addresses any research that I (or others) come across, whether those studies are old or new.

Here's an older literature review that I just found: LEE, I.-M. Physical Activity and Cancer Prevention: Data from Epidemiologic Studies. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 35, No. 11, pp. 1823-1827, 2003.

An abstract can be read at: http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/A...tivity_and_Cancer_Prevention_Data_from.7.aspx

According to the review, "The data are clear in showing that physically active men and women have about a 30-40% reduction in the risk of developing colon cancer, compared with inactive persons. Although the data are sparse, it appears that 30-60 min·d[SUP]-1[/SUP] of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity is needed to decrease risk. There is a dose-response relation, with risk declining further at higher levels of physical activity.... With regard to breast cancer, there is reasonably clear evidence that physically active women have about a 20-30% reduction in risk, compared with inactive women. It also appears that 30-60 min·d[SUP]-1[/SUP] of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity is needed to decrease the risk of breast cancer, and that there is likely a dose-response relation."

So, if Taekwondo is practiced moderately to vigorously for a half an hour to an hour a day, the risk of colon cancer is reduced by 30-40% for men and women and the risk of breast cancer is reduced by 20-30% for women. Good to know!

Cynthia

 

[lifespantkd]

Here's a popular press description of a recent study indirectly supporting the benefits of practicing Taekwondo for people 45 years of age and older: http://news.yahoo.com/too-much-sitting-kill-study-suggests-200408243.html. And, here's the abstract of this large Australian study straight from the journal it was published in, the Archives of Internal Medicine: http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/172/6/494. Regularly practicing Taekwondo certainly is a great way to increase the number of hours of physical activity each week, hence, reducing the number of hours sitting and the risk of earlier mortality. All the more reason to find ways of making your dojang more accessible to/welcoming of older students.

Cynthia