Adults Should Exercise Aerobically For At Least 2.5 Hours A Week Says US Government

The US government's Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced its first ever guidelines for physical activity for Americans that say adults should have 2.5 hours of moderate physical aerobic exercise a week, and children should have an hour or more of physical activity a day.

The new HHS publication is titled "2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans"; it covers all ages, and it can be downloaded from the HHS website.

The guidelines emphasize that physical activity benefits everyone regardless of age or ethnic group and are designed so that people can easily incorporate physical activities that they enjoy into their daily lives.

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said:

"It's important for all Americans to be active, and the guidelines are a roadmap to include physical activity in their daily routine."

Leavitt said the evidence about the long term benefits of regular exercise is clear: it promotes health and reduces disease.

"The more physically active you are, the more health benefits you gain," said Leavitt.

Some of the benefits of regular physical activity listed in the guidelines include:

• Reduced risk of premature death, coronary heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure.


• Lower risk of depression, type 2 diabetes, colon and breast cancer.


• Improved ability to think and get on with the tasks of daily living in older adults.


• At the levels recommended, adolescents and children can expect improved cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, bone health and body composition.

Described by the HHS as the "most comprehensive of their kind", the new Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans were drafted by an advisory panel of 13 experts appointed by Leavitt over 2 years ago. They conducted the "first thorough review of scientific research about physical activity and health in more than a decade".

The guidelines include the following advice:

For Children and Adolescents

At least one hour a day of moderate or vigorous aeorbic physical activity.
At least three days a week of vigorous physical activity.
Moderate physical activity includes: brisk walking, hiking, skateboarding and cycling.
Vigorous physical activity includes: cycling, jumping rope, running, soccer, basketball, ice hockey, field hockey and similar intensive sports.
Muscle-strengthening exercise is also recommended for this group, including rope climbing, doing sit-ups, tug of war, at least three days a week.
And for strengthening bone, this group should also do things like skipping, jumping rope and running.

Adults

At least 2.5 hours a week of moderate aerobic exercise, or 1 hour 15 minutes of vigorous physical activity.
Moderate exercise includes: brisk walking, aqua aerobics, dancing, and general gardening.
Vigorous physical activity includes: race or power walking, jogging, running, lap swimming, hiking uphill and jumping rope.
Aerobic exercise should last a minimum of 10 minutes each time.
For added benefit, the HHS recommends adults do aerobic exercise moderately for a minimum of 5 hours a week or vigorously for 2.5 hours a week.
And for muscle-strengthening they should do weight training, push-ups, sit-ups, heavy gardening or carry heavy loads on two days a week at least.

Older Adults

This group should be doing the same as adults, if they can. If they have a chronic condition that stops them, they should be as close to the adult guideline as their condition allows.
Older adults at risk of falling should also do exercises to help maintain balance.

Pregnant Women

Expectant mothers should do at least 2.5 hours of moderate physical exercise a week while pregnant: and after delivery too, perhaps spread out during the week a bit more.
Pregnant women should talk to their doctor about how to adjust their regimen and stay healthy in their pregnancy and after delivery if they are used to doing vigorous exercise regularly and wish to continue.

Disabled Adults

where possible, adults with disabilities should do at least 2.5 hours of moderate, or 1 hour 15 minutes of vigorous, aerobic exercise a week.
They should also do muscle-strengthening exercises that involve all the major muscle groups on at least two days a week, preferably more.
It is important for this group to avoid inactivity and to keep exercising regularly, even if not able to meet the guidelines.

McCain, Obama Jockey for Voters' Trust on Economy

John McCain accused his rival of being untested and untruthful when it comes to the economic crisis, as the McCain campaign attempted Wednesday to sow doubts about Barack Obama's ability to lead the nation through turbulent times.

John McCain gives a thumbs-up before giving a speech at a rally, Wednesday, in Strongsville, Ohio. (AP Photo)

Obama earlier accused the Republican ticket of recycling "Bush economics" on health care and other critical issues, as his campaign ridiculed the plan McCain pitched at Tuesday night's debate for the Treasury Department to spend billions buying up bad mortgages.

The sharp exchanges were just the latest set of pleas from the presidential candidates to trust them with the daunting task of veering the nation away from recession. They came after the Federal Reserve joined other global central banks Wednesday in announcing an emergency rate cut.

"What was my opponent's actual record in the years before the greatest economic crisis of our lifetimes?" McCain asked at a rally in Strongsville, Ohio, accusing Obama of abetting the runaway behavior of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. "Senator Obama was silent. He was dead silent. ... There's absolutely nothing in his record to suggest he did anything."

While Obama promises he will not raise taxes on anyone making less than $250,000 a year, McCain all but called Obama a liar.

"If he's such a defender of the middle class, why did he vote to raise their taxes?" he said. "Why should middle-class Americans trust him to keep promises that he's already broken?"

Earlier at a rally in Bethlehem, Pa., with his running mate, Sarah Palin, and wife, Cindy, in Bethlehem, Pa., McCain repeated his call for a government plan to buy up bad mortgages directly from Americans.

He said the country's economic woes call for "decisive" action and questioned whether his opponent had the record of taking such action.

"In a time of trouble and danger for our country, who will put our country first?" he said. "We've all heard what he's said, but it's less clear what he's done or what he will do."

But Obama's campaign rejected McCain's call to spend $300 billion on distressed mortgages.

The plan would cause the government "to massively overpay for mortgages in a plan that would guarantee taxpayers lose money and put them at risk of losing even more if home values don't recover," Obama economic adviser Jason Furman said in a written statement. "The biggest beneficiaries of this plan will be the same financial institutions that got us into this mess, some of whom even committed fraud."

Speaking to several thousand people earlier in Indianapolis, Obama acknowledged public anxiety over the financial crisis in starker terms than usual. He called it a "moment of great uncertainty for America."

"But this isn't a time for fear or panic," Obama said. "This is a time for resolve and leadership. I know that we can steer ourselves out of this crisis."

Obama repeated his claims that McCain's proposals would cause many Americans to lose their employer-provided health insurance because McCain would tax those benefits. He said the $5,000 tax credit McCain would give people would not be enough for them to buy private insurance, a claim McCain disputes.

"All we heard from Senator McCain was more of the same Bush economics that led us into this mess," Obama said in Indianapolis the day after their second debate. "He thinks we won't notice" downsides of his health care proposals, but "we're not going to be hoodwinked. We're not going to be bamboozled. We're not going to let him get away with it."

After McCain's campaign spent the weekend drawing attention to Obama's personal ties to figures like 1960s radical William Ayers, on Wednesday McCain attempted to balance that criticism with a renewed focus on the economy.

Although the campaign circulated a statement critical of Obama's ties to Ayers, neither McCain nor Palin mentioned the Ayers connection on the stump in Pennsylvania.

Instead, they questioned Obama's veracity and tied questions over character and judgment to the current economic turmoil.

"What Senator Obama says today and what he has done in the past are often two different things," McCain said. "Rather than answer his critics, Senator Obama will try to distract you from noticing that he never answers the serious and legitimate questions he has been asked. He has even questioned my truthfulness."

McCain continued by saying he didn't "need lessons about telling the truth to American people."
"And were I ever to need any improvement in that regard, I probably wouldn't seek advice from a Chicago politician," he said.

Palin said Obama's attempts to link McCain to Bush are "starting to wear pretty darn thin."

But Ayers is not off the table. Palin criticized Obama in an interview with FOX News for giving "conflicting stories" over his relationship with Ayers.

Obama continues to enjoy a healthy lead in the polls as the economy dominates the campaign conversation. The Gallup daily tracking poll Wednesday showed Obama with an 11-point lead over McCain -- his highest ever lead in the national survey.

Suicide Attack! Tense stand-off in Thai capital

Troops are on the streets of Bangkok after its worst anti-government protests for 16 years left at least two dead and hundreds injured.

Demonstrators had set up a blockade outside the parliament building, which Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat escaped by climbing over a fence.

The activists were trying to stop the inauguration of a government they say is run by ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra.

But as troops moved in, protesters pulled back from the blockade.

The appearance of troops outside parliament is a clear sign that the government is struggling to maintain its authority, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok.

Parliament blockade

The demonstrators - from the staunchly royalist People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) - have been occupying the grounds of government buildings for weeks, but until Tuesday their demonstration had been largely peaceful.

An alliance of conservative and staunchly royalist academics, activists and business people, the PAD has proved to be a well organised and tactically savvy movement, our correspondent adds.

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Clashes in the streets of the Thai capital Bangkok

Several thousand PAD protesters broke out of the compound where they had been staying and marched to the parliament.

They tried to seal off the building by putting up barriers of old tyres and barbed wire.

Police fired volleys of tear gas in an unsuccessful attempt to disperse the demonstrators and around 380 people - including eight police officers who were reportedly shot or stabbed - were injured in ensuing clashes.

The protesters later regrouped, locking some lawmakers inside the building and cutting off the power supply.

Amid the worst street violence since pro-democracy activists challenged Thailand's army in 1992, one person was killed when a suspected car bomb exploded outside the building. A woman also later died, reportedly of chest wounds.

Troops were eventually brought in to help the police and, as army commanders took pains to ensure the public there would be no coup, most protesters pulled back to their camp in Government House.

Forced to flee

The violence prompted the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, the government's chief negotiator with the PAD, who said police had failed to exercise the restraint he had requested.

Anti-government protesters were involved in clashes with police Enlarge Image

Mr Somchai had been holding talks with military commanders on how to end the weeks-long stand-off, before he was forced to flee the parliament building.

The protesters accuse him and his recently ousted predecessor, Samak Sundaravej, of simply being proxies for Mr Thaksin.

The PAD wants to replace the one-man, one-vote system with one in which some representatives are chosen by professions and social groups rather than the general electorate.

Mr Thaksin, Mr Somchai's brother-in-law, was forced from office in a military coup in 2006.

The new government says it wants to start negotiations with the PAD.

However, it is also pushing ahead with controversial plans to amend the constitution - a key grievance of the protesters who see it as part of a plan to rehabilitate Mr Thaksin.

The alliance says the government must resign because of its links to Mr Thaksin, who lives in the UK and has requested political asylum there.

It accuses him of corruption and abuse of power while he was in office.

It has also suggested that Mr Thaksin and his allies have a hidden republican agenda, a serious charge at a time when the country is beset by anxiety over the future of the monarchy.

HIV: Circumcision HIV impact doubted

There is no hard evidence that circumcision protects gay men from HIV, research shows.

Condoms are seen as offering the best protection

African trials have shown circumcision cuts the likelihood of male to female HIV transmission by up to 60%.

But a US analysis of data on 53,567 men who have sex with other men found HIV rates were not significantly lower among those who were circumcised.

The Journal of the American Medical Association study stressed more work was needed to draw firm conclusions.

This research adds weight to the evidence that circumcision isn't an effective method of HIV prevention for men who have sex with men Will Nutland Terrence Higgins Trust

The US team, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta examined data on 53,567 men who have sex with men, of which 52% were circumcised.

HIV levels among those who were circumcised were lower - but not significantly so.

However, there was evidence that circumcision may have had a protective effect in studies carried out before the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in 1996.

The researchers said one possible explanation was that the advent of these more effective HIV drugs had encouraged higher levels of risk taking sexual behaviour, wiping out any marginal protective effect from circumcision.

Alternatively, the drugs may have helped lower the risk of transmission to the point where circumcision had no further benefit.

A third possibility is that there may have been a smaller proportion of men in the pre-HAART trials who primarily engaged in receptive anal sex, which carries the greatest risk for HIV infection among gay men.

Prevention

Michael Carter, of the HIV information service NAM, said: "It's my sense that there has been a tempering of the excitement about circumcision, and researchers are now favouring a 'combination prevention' approach.

"Circumcision may have a place in this in some settings, but so too do good sexual health, consistent condom use, and there's real excitement and debate about the role of HIV treatment in prevention."

Will Nutland, of the HIV charity Terrence Higgins Trust, said: "This research adds weight to the evidence that circumcision isn't an effective method of HIV prevention for men who have sex with men.

"The majority of HIV infections in men who have sex with men are as a result of receptive anal intercourse and circumcision would make no difference in these cases.

"Rather than encouraging gay men to be circumcised, investment in prevention in the UK should focus on targeted education programmes, condom provision and easy access to testing."

Cars set to get parental controls

Advertisement Footage of the car in action - courtesy Ford.com Cars could soon come with parental controls that limit what younger drivers can do with a vehicle. Developed by Ford, the MyKey system limits a car's top speed, how loud its stereo can be and sounds warnings if seatbelts are not being worn. Ford will introduce the controls on some US makes of car that are due to debut in 2009 but go on sale in 2010. The Ford Focus will be the first to have MyKey, but the car maker said it would become a standard feature. Warning tones The main element of the MyKey system is to limit the top speed of a car to 80mph. Ford says other options allow parents to limit the volume on the car stereo and make the car sound a continuous alert if drivers and passengers are not wearing a seatbelt. Other options will let parents decide if warning tones should sound if a car goes faster than 45, 55 or 65 mph. The car giant said the system built on the ID chips it already used in car keys to hamper car theft. "It's making use of existing technology, and through the magic of software, we're able to build features on top of the features we already have," sad Jim Buczkowski, Ford's director of electronic and electrical systems engineering. Ford's compact version of the Focus, which is due to go on sale in 2010, will be the first to sport MyKey. But a spokesman said it would spread to all cars in the Ford, Lincoln and Mercury range as models are updated. "Research we've done has shown that speeding is a major factor in teen crashes, especially novice teen drivers," Anne McCartt, senior vice president for research at the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, told the AP news agency. "So I think a system that tries to correct the speeding behaviour has the potential to improve safety," she added.

living fish filmed 'Deepest ever'

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The fish were caught on camera

The "deepest ever" living fish have been discovered, scientists believe.

A UK-Japan team found the 17-strong shoal at depths of 7.7km (4.8 miles) in the Japan Trench in the Pacific - and captured the deep sea animals on film.

The scientists have been using remote-operated landers designed to withstand immense pressures to comb the world's deepest depths for marine life.

Monty Priede from the University of Aberdeen said the 30cm-long (12in), deep-sea fish were surprisingly "cute".

Nobody has really been able to look at these depths before - and I think we will see fish living much deeper Alan Jamieson, Oceanlab

The fish, known as Pseudoliparis amblystomopsis, can be seen darting about in the darkness of the depths, scooping up shrimps.

Alan Jamieson, from the University of Aberdeen, said: "It was an honour to see these fish.

"No-one has ever seen fish alive at these depths before - you just never know what you are going to see when you get down there."

The deepest record for any fish is Abyssobrotula galatheae, which was dredged from the bottom of the Puerto Rico Trench at a depth of more than 8km (5 miles) in 1970. However, it was dead by the time it reached the surface.

The previous record for any fish to have been spotted alive was thought to have stood at about 7km (4 miles).

Pressure points

The Hadeep project, which began in 2007, is a collaboration between the University of Aberdeen's Oceanlab and the University of Tokyo's Ocean Research Institute (Ori) and aims to expand our knowledge of biology in the deepest depths of the ocean.

It is funded by the Nippon Foundation and the Natural Environment Research Council (Nerc).

DEEP SEA DIVISIONS Bathyal zone: 1,000-3,000m (3,000-10,000ft) Abyss: 3,000-6,000m (10,000-20,000ft) Hadal: 6,000m-11,000m (20,000-36,000ft)

The researchers have been looking at the Hadal zone - the area of ocean that sits between 6,000 and 11,000m (20,000-36,000ft). It consists of very narrow trench systems, most of which are found around the Pacific Rim.

The researchers are able to explore them using specially designed remote operated vehicles that are fitted out with cameras.

Professor Priede, director of Oceanlab, said: "There is the question of how do animals live at all at these kinds of depths.

"There are three problems: the first is food supply, which is very remote and has to come from 8km (5 miles) above.

"There is very high pressure - they have to have all sorts of physiological modifications, mainly at the molecular level.

The lander was designed to withstand immense pressure

"And the third problem is that these deep trenches are in effect small islands in the wide abyss and there is a question of whether these trenches are big enough to support thriving endemic populations."

But this species appears to have overcome these issues, added Professor Priede.

"We have spotted these creatures at depths of 7,703m (25,272ft) - and we have actually found a massive group of them.

"And this video is pretty tantalising - the fact that there are 17 of them implies that they could well be a family group, begging the question of whether some form of parental care exists for these fish."

Vibration sensors

The researchers said they were surprised by the fish's behaviour.

"We certainly thought, deep down, fish would be relatively inactive, saving energy as much as possible, and so on," Professor Priede told BBC News.

The fish were surprisingly active

"But when you see the video, the fish are rushing around, feeding accurately, snapping at prey coming past."

Because the fish live in complete darkness, they use vibration receptors on their snouts to navigate the ocean depths and to locate food.

Professor Priede added: "Nobody has seen fish alive before at these depths - only pickled in museums - and by the time they come up from the depths they look in a pretty sorry state.

"But these fish are actually very cute."

Alan Jamieson added that he believed the team would find more fish during their next expedition in March 2009, which would probe the ocean between depths of 6,000m and 9,000m.

He told BBC News: "Nobody has really been able to look at these depths before - I think we will see some fish living much deeper."

Obama's & Mackain Crucial TV Debate!

John McCain and Barack Obama will answer questions from voters

The US presidential candidates have begun their second TV debate amid wide public fears over the financial crisis.

The first question focused on the difficulties facing US homeowners.

Democrat Barack Obama said the US faced the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression and that more had to be done to help the middle class.

Mr McCain said that, if elected, he would order the US Treasury Secretary to buy up "bad" mortgage loans, helping to create jobs and revive the economy.

"We are going to have to stabilise home values and that way people can realise the American dream and stay in their home," Mr McCain said.

Mr Obama said the political process in Washington would have to change to prioritise the interests of ordinary Americans and ensure they were able to remain in their homes.

Ahead of the debate, campaigning took on an increasingly bitter tone, with Senator Obama accusing Senator McCain of "smear tactics" and not paying attention enough to the economy.

Mr McCain said Mr Obama was "lying" about his ties to the home loan industry and asked what his rival had ever accomplished in government.

Recent opinion polls have shown Mr Obama taking a widening lead.

'Town Hall' debate

The second presidential debate, taking place less than a month before the 4 November election, has generated intense interest among the public.

Following personal attacks from both sides in recent days, there could be fireworks tonight LIVE McCain/Obama debate

More than six million people e-mailed questions to the moderator, NBC news presenter Tom Brokaw, who is presiding over the town hall-style debate in Nashville, Tennessee.

He was to select only six or seven e-mailed questions, as well as about a dozen from the studio audience of 80 uncommitted voters. They will cover domestic and foreign policy.

Mr McCain, who was widely viewed to have lost the first debate, has vowed to take the gloves off for this encounter.

The town hall format is his preferred style of campaigning and may work in his favour, analysts say.

Mr Obama, meanwhile, has promised to fight back.

"We don't throw the first punch, but we'll throw the last," he told a syndicated radio show.

Earlier in the day, Mr Obama's senior strategist, David Axelrod, told reporters that Mr McCain had indicated he was "going to be very aggressive in this debate".

A new ad released by the Obama campaign attacks Mr McCain's record on the economy.

"As Americans lose their jobs, homes and savings, it's time for a president who'll change the economy, not change the subject," it says.

Polling numbers

The latest Gallup daily tracking poll puts Mr Obama at 50% and Mr McCain at 42%, while a new CNN poll put Mr Obama ahead by 53% to 45%.

We don't throw the first punch, but we'll throw the last Barack Obama The shifting election battleground Crucial debate Send us your comments

Mr Obama, the Democratic candidate, is still gaining in some of the key swing states as well. A new Washington Post poll puts him 6% ahead of Mr McCain in Ohio, a state the Republican candidate probably needs to take if he is to win the presidency.

And another poll, by Rasmussen, also puts Mr Obama ahead in Missouri, which had previously been seen as safely Republican.

In recent days both camps have launched fresh assaults on the character of their opponent.

Mr McCain's running mate Sarah Palin posed further questions about Mr Obama's "truthfulness and judgement".

Both campaigns have ratcheted up the rhetoric with one month to go

Governor Palin had accused Mr Obama of "palling around" with a "domestic terrorist" - Bill Ayers.

Mr Ayers belonged to the US militant group Weather Underground, which opposed the Vietnam War in the 1960s.

Mr Obama once served on a charity board with Mr Ayers but has denounced his radical past.

In an interview with the New York Times newspaper on Monday, Mrs Palin also suggested that voters should pay more attention to Mr Obama's relationship with his former church pastor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

Mr McCain had previously indicated that he did not want Rev Wright's inflammatory sermons, which Mr Obama has repudiated, to form part of his campaign.

Judgement claim

Meanwhile, the Obama campaign has been highlighting Mr McCain's involvement in a financial scandal 20 years ago.

It e-mailed supporters an internet video about Mr McCain's connections to Arizona tycoon Charles Keating, who was convicted of securities fraud after his savings and loan bank collapsed.

Mr McCain was one of five senators - known as the Keating Five - to be investigated by a Senate ethics panel over their intervention with banking regulators on behalf of Keating.

He was found to be less involved with Keating than the other senators but was criticised for "poor judgement".

Mr McCain has himself described the affair as "the worst mistake of my life", and one which led him to sponsor legislation on campaign finance reform.

Watch the second US presidential debate live from Nashville, Tennessee from 0100 GMT, with full analysis, running commentary and voter reaction.