Ben F. Hurley

Hurley's research has focused on the health effects of exercise training with emphasis on the health effects of strength training (ST), specifically as an intervention against risk factors for age-associated diseases, such as hyperlipidemia, insulin resistance, hypertension, osteoporosis, and androgen deprivation therapy used for treating prostate cancer.^[5] In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), he was the first to find that strength-trained athletes who used anabolic steroids increased their risk for a heart attack by threefold after only 3 weeks of taking these drugs.^[6][7] In a second article published in the same issue of JAMA, his group studied the effects of exercise training on glucose tolerance and HDL cholesterol in older endurance athletes.^[8] Hurley's group was the first to explain the paradox for how regular endurance exercise increased the use of fat as an energy source while decreasing its level in the blood^[9] and the first to demonstrate that strength training increased the speed of gastrointestinal transit.^[10] His group found that the target heart rate cannot be used as a means of determining improved cardiovascular fitness from circuit strength training^[11] or aerobic dance.^[12] Reviewing the effectiveness of strength training in counteracting muscle decline with age and chronic diseases, he concluded that ST improves muscle function, increases bone mineral density, counteracts sarcopenia, improves muscle function, alleviates symptoms of fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis, reduces risk factors for age-related diseases, and enhances overall health and may have cognitive benefits, though its influence on Alzheimer's disease risk, abdominal obesity, and dyslipidemia, remain unclear, and it does not appear to improve maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), lipid profiles, or flexibility.^[13]

• Hurley, B. F., Seals, D. R., Ehsani, A. A., Cartier, L. J., Dalsky, G. P., Hagberg, J. M., & Holloszy, J. O. (1984). Effects of high-intensity strength training on cardiovascular function. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 16(5), 483-488.
• Hurley, B. F., Seals, D. R., Hagberg, J. M., Goldberg, A. C., Ostrove, S. M., Holloszy, J. O., ... & Goldberg, A. P. (1984). High-Density—Lipoprotein Cholesterol in Bodybuilders v Powerlifters: Negative Effects of Androgen Use. JAMA, 252(4), 507-513.
• Seals, D. R., Hagberg, J. M., Hurley, B. F., Ehsani, A. A., & Holloszy, J. O. (1984). Effects of endurance training on glucose tolerance and plasma lipid levels in older men and women. JAMA, 252(5), 645-649.
• Hurley, B. F., Nemeth, P. M., Martin 3rd, W. H., Hagberg, J. M., Dalsky, G. P., & Holloszy, J. O. (1986). Muscle triglyceride utilization during exercise: effect of training. Journal of Applied Physiology, 60(2), 562-567.
• Parker, S. B., Hurley, B. F., Hanlon, D. P., & Vaccaro, P. (1989). Failure of target heart rate to accurately monitor intensity during aerobic dance. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 21(2), 230-234.
• Koffler, K. H., Menkes, A., Redmond, R. A., Whitehead, W. E., Pratley, R. E., & Hurley, B. F. (1992). Strength training accelerates gastrointestinal transit in middle-aged and older men. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 24(4), 415-419.
• Hurley, B. F., & Roth, S. M. (2000). Strength training in the elderly: effects on risk factors for age-related diseases. Sports Medicine, 30, 249-268.