Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties. Dr. Mirkin's latest book is The Healthy Heart Miracle, published by HarperCollins. He wrote the chapter on sports injuries for the Merck Manual (both lay and physicians' editions), the largest selling book worldwide with over one million copies in print. His daily short features on fitness have been heard on CBS Radio News stations since the 1970's. He has written 16 books including The Sportsmedicine Book, the best-selling book on the subject that has been translated into many languages. Dr. Mirkin is a graduate of Harvard University and Baylor University College of Medicine. A Boston native, Dr. Mirkin did his residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital and over the years he has served as a Teaching Fellow at Johns Hopkins Medical School, Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland, and Associate Clinical Professor in Pediatrics at the Georgetown University School of Medicine. He has run more than forty marathons and is now a serious tandem bicycle rider with his wife, nutritionist Diana Mirkin.

Published on 01/1/2006

A study from Finland shows that teenagers who are out of shape are at increased risk for having high blood pressure later in life. If you exercise regularly when you are young, you will be more likely to continue exercising regularly when you are older which can prolong your life.

Fit Teens Become Healthy Adults

A study from Finland shows that teenagers who are out of shape are at increased risk for having high blood pressure later in life (International Journal of Sports Medicine, Volume 26, 2005). In 1976, a group of teenagers ran 1.2 miles as fast as they could. Twenty-five years later, the faster runners had far lower blood pressures than the slower runners. The data was corrected for body fat, so weight gain would not explain the higher blood pressures in the slower runners. High blood pressure increases risk for death from heart attacks, strokes, kidney damage, and diabetes.

The ability to run long distances fast depends on training, so the faster teenagers were in better shape than the slower runners, and fit teenagers are far more likely than out-of-shape teenagers to exercise in later life. If you exercise regularly when you are young, you will be more likely to continue exercising regularly when you are older which can prolong your life.

There are many other reasons to encourage your child to be active in sports. For example, college admissions officers look for students who excel in a specific skill or activity. A student who has an outstanding record in his or her sport will have an advantage over other students. Top athletes with average grades often are accepted at the finest universities.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com