HEALTHY LIVING


Embrace Gravity for Better Health


helping to keep our musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems engaged and strong. “It’s easy to take for granted, but


gravity was here long before us and will be here long after we’re gone,” says Brennan Spiegel, M.D., author of Pull: How Gravity Shapes Your Body, Steadies the Mind, and Guides Our Health. Spiegel is the director of Health


Services Research for Cedars- Sinai and professor of medicine and public health at University of California Los Angeles. Spiegel became interested in


the effect of gravity when a family member developed irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) after being confined to a hospital bed. He hypothesized that IBS, which


affects 10% of the world’s population, may be caused by gravity intolerance, or the body’s inability to manage gravity. We were meant to live two- thirds of our lives in an upright position, so when we’re forced to lie down for extended periods of time, our bodies can’t function optimally, and we can develop motility problems, says Spiegel. “Our nervous system has evolved


It boosts circulation, strengthens our bones, and improves balance and posture. ::


BY LYNN C. ALLISON A


new field in health sciences is investigating the effects of gravity on our mental, physical, and


emotional well-being. Gravity is something we take for


granted as one of the fundamental forces of nature — it anchors us to the ground, gives weight to our bodies, and governs movement. But gravity’s effects go far beyond


keeping us grounded. It influences the circulation of


80 NEWSMAX MAXLIFE | OCTOBER 2025


our blood, the strength of our bones and muscles, and even our balance and posture. When astronauts spend extended


periods in microgravity environments, such as aboard the International Space Station, they experience muscle atrophy and bone loss, highlighting how essential Earth’s gravitational pull is for maintaining our health. Here on the Earth’s surface,


gravity gently challenges our bodies every time we rise from a chair, walk upstairs, or simply stand upright,


in its own ways of managing gravity,” explains Spiegel. “That’s why we feel ‘butterflies’ in our stomach when riding a roller coaster or in a turbulent airplane.” While we can’t change gravity,


we can bolster our bodies to manage gravity better. Losing weight, exercising, and strengthening the anti- gravity muscles along the back that support the spine can help our bodies offset the negative pull of gravity. This pull can compress the


abdominal cavity and weaken our skeletal muscles. Here are simple ways to work


with gravity instead of against it for better health: Gut issues. Gravity affects how food and waste move through our digestive


Continued on page 82


SERGEYCHAYKO©ISTOCK


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