Intense
Exercise Cuts Heart Risk
Study
finds jogging, rowing, lifting weights are best
Want
to improve your heart health? Run if you can, do not walk. Row in the
water rather than wade in it.
No
Pain, No Gain ... And Them Some
A new
study adds a new twist to the "no pain, no gain" theory by finding that
increased intensity of exercise significantly lowers the risk of coronary
heart disease (CHD) in men. The research appeared in a recent issue
of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
"We
all know that physical activity is good for heart disease. This is the
first time we've shown that intensity of exercise over and above the
amount of energy expenditure makes a difference," says Dr. Frank Hu,
senior author of the study and an associate professor of nutrition at
Harvard School of Public Health. "If the exercise is suitable for the
person, I think people should aim for more rigorous exercise given the
amount of energy expenditure."
In
other words, if you can burn 100 calories either by walking for an hour
or running for half an hour, go for the run.
Resistance
Training Is Beneficial For Heart Disease
The
association between aerobic activity and reduced risk for CHD was expected.
More surprising were results documenting a similar risk reduction with
weight training. "This is the first study to directly look at the relationship
between weight training and risk of CHD, and this is the first evidence
that resistance training is beneficial for heart disease," Hu says.
The
study looked at a group of 44,452 male dentists, optometrists, pharmacists,
podiatrists, osteopaths, and veterinarians enrolled in the Health Professionals'
Follow-up Study who were interviewed at two-year intervals between 1986
and the beginning of 1998.
Men
who ran for an hour or more each week had a 42 percent reduced risk
for CHD compared with men who did not run. Men who trained with weights
for 30 minutes or more per week had a 23 percent reduced risk of CHD
compared with those who did not. Rowing for one hour or more per week
was associated with an 18 percent reduced risk. A half-hour or more
of brisk walking each day was also associated with an 18 percent reduction
in risk for CHD. The faster you walked, the bigger the reduction.
Moreover,
Hu says, "men who exercised one hour per day had a 30 percent lower
risk compared with those who exercised one hour per week. This is an
overall estimate and does not consider types and intensity of exercise."
The
physically active men in the study also tended to have lower body mass
indexes, lower total fat intake, higher intakes of fiber and alcohol,
and lower incidences of smoking and high blood pressure.
"This
certainly demonstrated the enormous potential for exercise in lowering
the risk of heart disease," Hu says.
Aerobic
activity, we know, has a direct effect on heart muscle, can raise "good"
and lower "bad" cholesterol, and can lower blood pressure. Weight training
does not have a direct effect on the muscles of the heart, but it can
have a beneficial effect on insulin resistance and body fat, which in
turn can have an effect on heart disease.
The
value of a study such as this is how it is used to fight the "epidemic
of sloth" in America, says Dr. Alan Rozanski, director of nuclear cardiology
and cardiac stress testing at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital and a professor
of medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons,
both in New York City. "On a societal level, we have to start a process
where we're getting the message out. The problem today is intellectually
people understand that exercise is useful but, given our lifestyles
and the combination of forces within our society, we need to translate
this into action."
Current
exercise recommendations emphasize moderately intense activities such
as walking and do not highlight weight training. "Our results suggest
that resistance training can be incorporated in combination with aerobic
exercise," Hu says.
Rozanski
thinks things need to be even simpler than that: "Take the stairs instead
of the elevator and carry the groceries instead of paying someone to
do it. The other way is so convenient. You think, 'I'll save a few minutes
here, a few minutes there,' but you're literally going to lose, days,
months, minutes of your life."
Always
consult your physician for more information.
|
December
2002
No
Pain, No Gain ... And Them Some
Resistance
Training Is Beneficial For Heart Disease
Alarming
News for African-American Men's Heart Health
Online
Resources
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a St. John's Mercy Physician
In
Other Men's Health News:
Alarming
News for African-American Men's Heart Health
Those
with coronary disease are in worse shape than Caucasian men and
less capable of exercise
African-American
men with coronary heart disease are in worse shape and less capable
of exercise than their Caucasian counterparts.
That
is the alarming finding of a new study presented recently at the
American Heart Association's scientific sessions
meeting in Chicago.
Researchers
at the Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans looked at 5,069
people referred for stress testing and compared fitness levels of
African-American men and Caucasian men.
Caucasian
men had significantly higher exercise capacity than African-American men,
who were found to be more obese. The researchers say they found
that being African-American was an independent risk factor, although
weak, for poor exercise capacity.
The
researchers say in a prepared statement that an emphasis on weight
loss and an increase in exercise and physical fitness is important
for prevention of cardiovascular disease in African-American men.
Several
previous studies of people with coronary artery disease have found
that exercise capacity is a strong predictor of future health. However,
there are few studies that have assessed exercise capacity in adult
African-Americans or the effect of race on fitness levels, the researchers
say.
Always
consult your physician for more information.
Online
Resources
American
Heart Association
Journal
of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
National
Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes
of Health (NIH)
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