Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health consultant Dr Mike Loosemore is looking forward to the second annual conference on exercise medicine, to be held at the Royal Society of Medicine in London on 20 and 21 June. “I feel we are starting to ride the crest of a wave here. There is a clearer view from politicians now that physical activity is extremely important for the health of the population: in getting the population fitter, in limiting the effects of chronic non-communicable diseases and in reducing the huge cost to the nation of treating these diseases.”
Building on last year’s successful conference, this year’s event key themes are epigenetics, technology, and influencing exercise-related behaviour, both in individuals and society.
“Epigenetics (the study of changes in gene activity that occur alongside, rather than as a direct result of, changes in DNA), is currently a very hot topic”, said Dr Loosemore. “For example, we have a Swedish group presenting their findings on the epigenetics of the insulin receptor, which show how physical activity can help treat Type 2 diabetes. Delegates will also hear about the epigenetics of breast cancer why physical activity is effective in reducing the secondary appearance of breast cancer. We hope that, once the mechanism is explained, doctors will be much happier to prescribe exercise as a treatment for diseases.
It might seem counterintuitive in an age where a proliferation of labour-saving devices has led to a culture of inactivity, but technology is another important area in the area of exercise medicine. “People are now so attached to their technology”, said Dr Loosemore. “There are apps and social media channels now that can encourage you to improve and increase your exercise, and medical professionals are looking at ways of using technology to encourage people to increase their physical activity.
“The internet is also a good forum for the discussion of physical activity as part of a treatment regimen: for example, a group of patients in the USA who were being treated for depression participated in an online poll, which asked them to rank a series of treatment options according to how pleasurable and effective they found them: exercise scored highest on both measures.”
Day two of the conference focuses on implementing increased physical activity in the general population. “We’ve got the research”, said Dr Loosemore. “We know this is a major problem, and that increasing physical activity significantly reduces the effects of many chronic diseases. What we haven’t really established yet is how to implement increased physical activity in the population: how to get it into clinical pathways, and to become part of people’s lifestyles. We have some great speakers talking about how we can do that. One is Amazon from the Gladiators TV programme, who is a great role model for physical activity and also a dedicated GP; we also have world-renowned experts such as Professor Steven Blair from the USA.”
This year’s event once again includes presentation of the Helal and Harries prize for research in the field of exercise medicine. It is aimed at younger medical professionals, in support of improving research in this area, and encouraging younger doctors to enter the field: Dr Loosemore described this year’s winning entry as “excellent”.
The second annual conference on exercise medicine is being held on 20 and 21 June 2014 at the Royal Society of Medicine in London. You can listen to a BMJ podcast in which Mike previews the event.
Dr Mike Loosemore is Lead Consultant in Sport and Exercise Medicine at the ISEH and Lead Sports Physician for the South of England at the English Institute for Sport. He is also the Associate Dean at the London Deanery. Mike has been appointed the Chief Medical Officer for the England team at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.