Objective. To investigate the combined impact of aerobic exercise and Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet on brain cells longevity in spite of sex hormones deficiency in obese postmenopausal women. Design. A parallel randomized clinical trial. Subjects/Patients. Sixty-eight eligible postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to one of two groups, one experimental and one control. The participants’ age ranged from 60 to 75 years, and their body mass index ranged from 30 to 39.9 kg/m2. Methods. An experimental group whose members followed moderate-intensity treadmill exercise three times/week for three months with MIND diet and a control group whose members followed the MIND diet only. In addition to serum sex hormones, pre- and post-12-week assessments were performed to measure serum sex hormones as well as cognitive and functional levels. Results. The experimental group showed after intervention highly significant changes ( p < 0.01 ) in sex hormones, cognitive functions, and functional levels compared with the control group ( p < 0.05 ). In addition, no correlation was found between the measured variables in both groups after intervention ( p > 0.05 ). Conclusion. Aerobic exercise combined with the MIND diet improves cognitive and functional levels and substitutes sex hormones deficiency in postmenopausal women, which affects the longevity of brain health.

Graphical abstract

Background and purposeOsteoporosis is a common skeletal disorder with costly complications and a global health problem and one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Magnetic field therapy and physical activity have been proven as beneficial interventions for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. The purpose of this study was to compare the response of bone mineral content and bone mineral density (BMD) in elderly women to either low-frequency low-intensity pulsed magnetic field (LFLIPMF) or circuit weight training (CWT) on short-run basis (after 12 weeks).Patients and methodsThirty elderly women, aged 60–70 years, were randomly assigned into two groups (magnetic field and CWT) (n=15 each group). The session was performed three times per week for magnetic field and CWT groups, for 12 weeks. BMD and bone mineral content of lumbar spine (L2–L4) and femoral neck, trochanter, and Ward’s triangle were evaluated before and after 12 weeks of treatment.ResultsBoth magnetic field and CWT for 12 weeks in elderly women seem to yield beneficial and statistically significant increasing effect on BMD and bone mineral content (P<0.05). But magnetic field seems to have more beneficially and statistically significant effect than does CWT.ConclusionIt is possible to conclude that LFLIPMF and CWT programs are effective modalities in increasing BMD but LFLIPMF is more effective in elderly women.

No abstract

Background: Hypertension is the most important risk factor that affects the women in the early postmenopausal years. Reflexology is a noninvasive therapy that performed on the hands, feet, or ears at certain reflex points. Purpose: To detect the response of blood pressure to the foot reflexology and the transcendental meditation training on hypertensive postmenopausal women. Subjects and Methods: Fifty volunteers, postmenopausal women that had been diagnosed clinically as hypertensive, their age was ranged between (50-65) years, their body mass index (BMI) was <30 kg/m² and their blood pressure was ranged between (140/90) mmHg and (180/110) mmHg. They were randomly assigned into two equal groups in number (A and B). The Participants in the group (A) received the foot reflexology in addition to the transcendental meditation training techniques, while the group (B) received the transcendental meditation training technique only. The treatment program were done three times per week for 8 weeks. Assessment of all subjects in both groups (A and B) were carried out before and after the treatment program throughout using the mercury column sphygmomanometer. Results: Both of the groups (A and B) exhibited a significant reduction (P<0.001) of their blood pressure values after the end of the two consecutive months of the training program. However, the participants that had been received the foot reflexology plus transcendental meditation training group (A) exhibited a greater reduction in the blood pressure values. Conclusion: So, it could be concluded that using the foot reflexology in addition to the transcendental meditation training had the superior and the positive effect on hypertensive postmenopausal women than using the transcendental meditation training only.