AMES, Iowa -- Ponce de León never found the mythical "Fountain of Youth" in his 16th century journey to America, but Barry A. Franklin will discuss a real antidote to aging as the visiting Pease Family Scholar at Iowa State University.
Franklin is director of cardiac rehabilitation and exercise laboratories at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., and a noted author and scholar in combining exercise physiology with cardiology, heart disease prevention and cardiovascular risk reduction, obesity and metabolism. He will present a free public lecture titled "Exercise as the antidote to aging: Reversing the aging process," on Thursday, Dec. 10, at 7:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union Campanile Room. A short reception will follow.
"My talk will discuss the role that structured exercise/physical activity plays in reversing many of the effects that are commonly attributed to aging, with specific reference to aerobic capacity (cardiorespiratory fitness), muscular strength/endurance, cognitive decline, sexual dysfunction, obesity and mortality," Franklin said. "I'll also plan to discuss the 'compression of morbidity hypothesis,' which states that we can still be functional, late in life, if we maintain a 'normal weight (BMI),' exercise regularly and avoid cigarette smoking.
"Finally, I'll provide the latest exercise recommendations for older adults," he continued.
In addition to his position at William Beaumont Hospital, Franklin holds adjunct faculty appointments as clinical professor of exercise science at Oakland (Mich.) University, professor of physiology at Wayne State (Mich.) University School of Medicine, and clinical professor, Department of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School.
He previously served as president of the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (1988) and president of the American College of Sports Medicine (1999). He has also held regional and national leadership positions with the American Heart Association (AHA). He currently serves as chair of the AHA Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism.
Franklin has written or edited more than 500 publications, including 77 book chapters and 27 books. His most widely cited text, co-authored with Joseph C. Piscatella, is titled, "Take a Load Off Your Heart" (Workman Publishing, New York). He is also co-author of the American Heart Association book, "The No-Fad Diet" (Random House, New York). He recently co-edited "Pollock's Textbook of Cardiovascular Disease and Rehabilitation," (Human Kinetics, Champaign, Ill.).
His latest book is "Contemporary Diagnosis and Management in Cardiovascular Exercise," co-authored by Dr. Neil Gordon, which features state-of-the-art strategies for patients to help them avoid lifestyle choices that may put them at risk for cardiovascular disease.
The Pease Family Scholar program was created in memory of Harvey and Bomell Pease, Newport Beach, Calif. The endowment was established in 1991 by their son, Dean Pease, and his wife, Sally, to bring visiting scholars to the Iowa State campus. Dean Pease, who died in 1994, chaired the department of health and human performance (now kinesiology) from 1987 to 1990.
