Context The amount of physical activity needed to prevent long-term weight gain is unclear. In 2008, federal guidelines recommended ≥150min/week (7.5 MET-hr/week) of moderate-intensity activity for “substantial health benefits”. Objective To examine the association of different amounts of physical activity with long-term weight changes among women consuming a usual diet. Design, Setting, and Participants Prospective cohort study, following 34,079 healthy, US women (mean age, 54.2 years) from 1992–2007. At baseline, 36-, 72-, 96-, 120-, 144- and 156-months’ follow-up, women reported their physical activity and body weight. Women were classified as expending <7.5, 7.5-<21, and ≥21 MET-hr/week of activity at each time. Repeated measures regression prospectively examined physical activity and weight change over intervals averaging 3 years. Main Outcome Measure Change in weight. Results Women gained a mean of 2.6 kg throughout the study. In multivariate analysis, compared with women expending ≥21 MET-hr/week, those expending 7.5-<21 and <7.5 MET-hr/week gained 0.11 kg (SD=0.04; P=0.003) and 0.12 kg (SD=0.04; P=0.002), respectively, over a mean interval of 3 years. There was a significant interaction by body mass index (BMI), such that there was an inverse dose-response relation between activity levels and weight gain among women with BMI <25 kg/m2 (P, trend <0.0001), but no relation among heavier women (P, trend=0.56 and 0.50, respectively, for BMI 25–29.9 and ≥30.0 kg/m2). A total of 4,540 women (13.3%) began the study with BMI <25 kg/m2 and successfully maintained their weight, gaining <2.3 kg throughout; their mean activity level over the study was 21.5 MET-hr/week (~60 min/day moderate-intensity activity). Conclusion Among women consuming a usual diet, physical activity was associated with less weight gain only among women with BMI <25 kg/m2. Women successful in maintaining normal weight and gaining <2.3 kg over 13 years averaged ~60 min/day of moderate-intensity activity over the study duration.

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Curcumin has anti-proliferative and pro-apototic properties against a variety of cancer cells in vitro. Unfortunately, the water-insolubility and instability leads to its low bioavailability in vivo tests. Here, we report a general approach to using poly(amidoamine) dendrimer with acetyl terminal groups to encapsulate curcumin(G₅-Ac/Cur) for drug delivery to cancer cells. The solubility, release kinetics, anticancer activity, and apoptotic-related protein expression (Bax and Bcl-2) were investigated in detail. Comparing with curcumin, the water-solubility value of G₅-Ac/Cur increased 200-fold, and the release of curcumin from the complexes was in a sustained manner. G₅-Ac/Cur showed higher anti-proliferative activity against A549 cell lines and had the better effect on the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species, the mitochondrial membrane potential and cell apoptosis. Furthermore, the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 was higher in samples treated with G₅-Ac/Cur. The results indicated that the G₅-Ac drug delivery system could improve the solubility and anti-cancer effect of curcumin.