Tag archive for: sport
The World University Games are an international university sports competition where high-level student athletes compete. They are organized by the International University Sports Federation (FISU) every two years.
This season, they will take place in Chengdu, China, bringing together 6,000 high-level student athletes from 120 countries to compete in 18 different sports from July 28 to August 8.
The Faculty is proud to announce that one of its medical students, Romain Didelot, has been selected to compete for the French national athletics team! We met up with him:
Can you tell us about your educational and athletic background?
"I started athletics at the age of 7, always with the same club in Montpellier, and my passion has never left me. Athletics, and then my choice to specialize in the long jump, has been part of my personal life and has given me discipline, a taste for hard work, and the desire to surpass myself. After years of high school marked by several national titles, as soon as I passed the first-year medical school entrance exam in Montpellier, I returned to the Philippidès stadium and, since then, I have been trying my best to juggle my medical studies and high-level sport. This requires daily organizational efforts to balance classes, internships, revision, training, and competitions."
What does this selection mean to you?
"This selection for the World University Games is the reward for a busy but successful year. Academically, I am entering my fifth year of medical school and am therefore pursuing my main goal. In terms of sports, the results have also been positive: French University Indoor Long Jump Champion (Eaubonne, 01/2023) and French University Vice-Champion in the stadium (Salon de Provence, 05/2023), French Senior FFA Indoor Champion (Miramas, 02/2023) and Bronze Medalist at the French Elite FFA Indoor Championships (Clermont-Ferrand, 02/2023)."
Would you like to add anything?
"I am particularly happy and honored by this selection and proud to represent the Faculty of Medicine of Montpellier and the University of Montpellier. I am also very proud to represent my city, as I was born in Montpellier and have always lived there. And, by a twist of fate, I will be participating in this competition in Chengdu, one of Montpellier's twin cities!"
After Othofaso a few days ago, it's now time for ASMM, the Montpellier Medical Students' Sports Association! Today we meet Amandine, vice president in charge of communications, who tells us more!
Can you tell us a little about your organization? What is its purpose?
The Montpellier Medical Sports Association (ASMM ) was founded around ten years ago with the aim of promoting sports activities among medical students in a friendly atmosphere. While this objective has remained unchanged over the years, the ASMM has evolved, notably by welcoming students enrolled in PACES (future PASS-LAS) and midwifery programs.Our association allows health students to reconnect with sports, which are often neglected during their studies, in a friendly and relaxed manner. These moments are all the more important for PACES/PASS/LAS students, who are under considerable pressure due to their competitive exams. The entire team is therefore available to provide them with moral support and a friendly outlet. This year's project is to open membership to other health programs, particularly physical therapy and dentistry students.
What activities do you carry out throughout the year? Can you tell us about them?
Throughout the year, we organize two sessions per week, one dedicated exclusively to PACES/PASS/LAS students and the second dedicated to medical and midwifery students. The content of our sessions varies according to the preferences of our members. The sessions often consist of endurance or muscle-building exercises, as well as a more fun part with team sports such as ULTIMATE.
We also organize extra-curricular activities: canoeing, beach volleyball, trampolining, pétanque, laser tag, indoor soccer, etc.
Why and how should I join your association?
Joining our association gives students access to our sessions and sporting events throughout the year. Membership costs €5 for PACES, LAS, PASS, second and third year medical and midwifery students. Registration is free for students in higher years. Registration is possible throughout the year, either online via the Pumpkin app or in person at the start of the session or before events. It couldn't be easier: just download the app and create an account with the code ASMM.
Can you tell us a few words about the election of the 2020-21 board?
A new executive committee is elected internally each year. It is composed mainly of third-year medical students, as well as one midwifery student. The current executive committee is composed of:
- Tristan Georger: President
- Juliette Cuminal: Secretary
- Cécile Burgalieres: treasurer
- Romane Barbier and Nicolas Rouvière: Vice Presidents in charge of partnerships
- Pietro Rosso: Vice President in charge of meetings
- Aurélien Clamens: Vice President of Communications, Sage-Femme
- Amandine Sautel and Matthieu Branchereau: Vice Presidents in charge of medical communications
COVID-19 update
The current health crisis has led us to rethink our sessions, in particular by no longer practicing team sports. We have also separated participants into groups of 10, then 6, in order to limit the spread of the virus and protect our members. Protective measures (wearing masks, using hand sanitizer) are also strictly enforced during our sessions and events. We also encourage outdoor activities, such as our running sessions. We are also working with partner sports facilities to offer small group activities to our members, who can enjoy them whenever they want (bowling, climbing, escape games, laser tag, etc.). We have also set up live yoga sessions on Instagram, which combines student well-being with limited group activities.
How can I contact you on social media?
Instagram: tim_asmm
Facebook: tim asmm
Website: ASMM Association
Physical activity is not just a way to lose weight. Sport has major benefits from a medical, social, and economic perspective. It boosts the immune system and promotes general well-being: walking, running, or gardening activate metabolic mechanisms, or biological reactions, in our bodies.
The benefits of exercise can be seen in physical appearance, but also in mental health:
Physical health
Fighting obesity and diabetes-related diseases
Sport does not, strictly speaking, prevent obesity or overweight. However, physical activity is regularly prescribed as a complement to appropriate treatment to help patients achieve their goals.
In general, exercise helps regulate weight with the aim of achieving a more toned figure. Muscles can produce certain hormones, called myokines, which have metabolic effects on several organs. As Cédric Moro (research director at Inserm at the Institute of Metabolic and Cardiovascular Diseases in Toulouse) explains, "In obese patients, muscles contain a small amount of fat. Exercise melts this fat away, allowing insulin to more effectively supply the muscles with sugar. This helps prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes."
The positive effects of exercise on weight problems or diabetes are only beneficial if exercised correctly. There are recommendations that exist and must be followed for this to be effective with minimal side effects.
Cardiovascular diseases
When it comes to cardiovascular disease, the risk factors are well known: smoking, stress, high blood pressure, etc. Regular physical activity improves and regulates the functioning of the heart, leading to a reduction in cardiovascular risks:
- Potential 50% reduction in high blood pressure
- Increase in good cholesterol levels
- Regulation of blood sugar levels
We also know that below a certain VO2 max threshold, which is the maximum amount of oxygen the body consumes during intense exercise, a heart transplant is necessary. Thibaut Guiraud, a physiology researcher at I2MC, explains that "With exercise, we improve our physical capacity and can move out of the red zone, which is above 5 METs (equivalent to the ability to walk at 4-5 km/h for a few minutes)."
Regular physical activity makes the heart stronger and therefore prevents or slows down cardiovascular problems.
Cancer
It's no longer a secret that physical activity can be beneficial in the treatment of certain cancers.
Cancer is the leading cause of death ahead of cardiovascular disease: the number of cases has doubled over the last 30 years.
Exercising during treatment helps the body counteract certain negative effects of treatment, such as fatigue. Of course, this is provided that the exercise is moderate and adapted to the treatment. Béatrice Fervers, an oncologist at the Léon-Bérard Center, explains that "the sooner patients start exercising after their diagnosis, the better they are able to counteract the side effects."
Indeed, exercise changes body composition (decrease in visceral fat and maintenance or even improvement of muscle mass) as well as muscle strength. The possible consequences of regular physical activity on the mechanisms involved in tumor proliferation can be explained: the best-documented effects concern breast cancer and relate to glycemic regulation, increased insulin sensitivity, an anti-inflammatory effect, and hormonal regulation.
According to researchers at ISERM, physical activity may reduce the risk of recurrence in breast and colon cancer.
Mental health
As we saw in the article on meditation, physical activity contributes to better mental health.
Sport not only helps people with illnesses. Sport also promotes the well-being of those who practice it by reducing psychological risks.
Anti-stress
Physical activity can help reduce stress. Exercise triggers the body to produce hormones called endorphins, which are feel-good hormones. As a result, anxiety levels are reduced after physical activity.
Dr. Martine Duclos, endocrinologist and head of the Sports Medicine Department at Gabriel-Montpied and Estaing University Hospitals (Clermont-Ferrand), explains that sport can replace the use of anxiolytics, for example: "In anxious or stressed individuals, regular physical activity provides the same benefits as anxiolytics, without the side effects and addiction; it also has a similar effect to antidepressants in individuals suffering from mild to moderate depression." Sport also induces the secretion of neurotransmitters involved in depression when they are deficient, particularly serotonin.
Beyond its calming effect, exercise also allows us to take a break from everyday life and forget the little worries that usually occupy our minds while we are exercising.
Sleep quality
From reducing stress to improving sleep, it's just one small step.
Dr. Duclos says that "exercise has two positive effects: you'll have less trouble falling asleep, and athletes will wake up less often during the night."
This can be explained in particular by the regulation of blood pressure and the secretion of endorphins, which help you relax better. So, thanks to sport, you feel less stressed, which leads to physical fatigue rather than psychological fatigue.
In addition, practicing sports requires people to be more organized and therefore to regulate their biological rhythm (also known as circadian rhythm). This also means eating better for better performance. All these factors play an important role in sleep quality.
However, it is important not to exercise too late in the day, "because otherwise it will delay your bedtime," Martine Duclos points out.
The brain and depression
Finally, exercise causes the brain to release dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter involved in the reward mechanism.
Memory, cognition, mood: physical exercise optimizes mental performance and health.
Lisa Weinberg's team at the Georgia Institute of Technology (United States) conducted a study on students: memorizing 90 photos. The first group had to do leg exercises while the other group remained seated. Two days later, the students had to recognize as many images as possible from a set of 180: the trained group was able to recognize 60%, 10% more than the control group.
Researcher Martine Duclos observed a "positive correlation between their physical condition and the type of high school they attended (general, vocational, agricultural). According to Dr. Duclos, this can be explained by the fact that "muscle activity leads to the production of myokines, proteins which, through a complex mechanism, stimulate the brain to produce growth factors, neurotrophins, and more specifically BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor). It promotes the creation of microvessels (angiogenesis) and the production of new neurons (neurogenesis)."
Sports at the university – ASMM Association (AS Médecine Montpellier)
This sports association consists of 3-4 members serving medical students who wish to engage in regular physical activity. With the aim of promoting sports, it provides them with sports fields and equipment and organizes university competitions.
Our projects:
- Creation of a women's volleyball team;
- Development of a rugby team combining medical and dental students;
- Creation of a basketball team made up of medical, pharmacy, and dentistry students;
- Organization of futsal, tennis, pétanque, and beach volleyball tournaments.
Office:
President: Mustapha MOUSTAFAOUI
Secretary: Maxime FOULQUIER
Treasurer: Youssef TRIGUI
Contact:
Institute of Biology
4 Boulevard Henri IV
34965 Montpellier Cedex 2
Sources:
https://lejournal.cnrs.fr/articles/le-sport-est-bon-pour-la-sante-cest-prouve
https://www.naturaforce.com/blog/2017/06/03/bienfaits-du-sport-sur-la-sante/
https://www.sciencesetavenir.fr/sante/bouger-ameliorer-le-cerveau_29226
