Risk
For Premature Cardiac Death Reduced With Exercise
A
Hardy Workout Found To Be Helpful
A vigorous
workout is good for your heart, according to a study published online
by the British Medical Journal specialty publication
Heart.
Researchers
conducting the study found that Irish men who worked their body the
hardest saw the most significant reduction in premature cardiac death,
compared to those who exercised less vigorously.
Experts
Say All Exercise a Benefit
However,
American physicians point out that while more exercise may be better,
lesser amounts have value as well.
"While this
study emphasizes the benefits of heavy exercise over lighter activity,
it does not prove that lighter exercise has no value," says New
York University cardiologist Dr. Dan Fisher. "And, we should not
take this finding to mean that only heavy exercise is good for the heart."
Fisher says any
level of activity is better than no activity, with many studies illustrating
that moderate workouts done on a regular basis have important heart-healthy
benefits - a tenet also endorsed by the American Heart Association
and others.
Cardiologist Dr.
Jeffrey Borer, chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Pathophysiology
at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, says any value in this study must
be seen in the "bigger picture," with an overall message that
any exercise is good for the heart.
"The inference
you would draw from this is that exercise is a good thing because it
does reduce the risk of cardiac events and cardiac death, and that the
benefits seem to be related to the intensity rather than the duration
of exercise," says Dr. Borer.
However, says Dr.
Borer, it's not possible to draw conclusions concerning the benefits
of lesser exercise - or to infer that less exercise is not worthwhile.
The 10-year study,
conducted by researchers at Belfast University in Northern Ireland,
looked at 2,000 men, ages 45 to 59, with no evidence of heart disease.
The participants, all living in Cardiphilly, Wales, answered a questionnaire
detailing their medical history, usual level of leisure and work-time
physical activity, and information on lifestyle factors, including diet
and smoking.
Their levels of
activity were then classified into the following three categories: light
(walking, bowling, sailing), moderate (golf, digging, dancing), and
heavy (climbing stairs, swimming, jogging).
Men in the study
group were examined at regular intervals over the 10-year period. During
that time, researchers documented 252 deaths, with 193 men dying due
to heart disease or stroke.
Among those who
died of cardiac-related ailments, researchers found those who participated
in the most aggressive physical activity lived the longest, while those
who performed less vigorous activity died sooner.
"Although this
study demonstrates you might get more benefits from heavy exercise,
any level of activity has important health benefits, including reducing
cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure levels, all of which benefit
the heart," says Dr. Fisher.
Ease
Into an Exercise Program
He also cautions
against engaging in heavy or strenuous exercise without proper conditioning.
"The message
you don't want to take away from this study is that you should jump
from a sedentary lifestyle into heavy exercise," says Dr. Fisher.
"This won't help your heart and it might even cause you harm."
Instead, Drs. Fisher
and Borer say, get your physician's advice on the best exercises for
your fitness level and gradually expand your workout regimen as your
strength increases.
Always consult your
physician for more information.
Starting
a Daily Exercise Program
It
is always important to consult your physician before starting an exercise
program. This is particularly true if any of the following apply to
your current medical condition:
- chest
pain or pain in the neck and/or arm
- shortness of
breath
- a diagnosed
heart condition
- joint and/or
bone problems
- currently taking
cardiac and/or blood pressure
- medications
- have not previously
been physically active
dizziness
If one or more of the statements listed above applies
for you, see your physician before beginning an exercise program. An
exercise-stress test may be used to help plan your exercise program.
If none of these apply, start gradually and sensibly.
However, if you feel any of the physical symptoms listed above when
you start your exercise program, contact your physician right away.
Online
Resources
American
Heart Association
Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC)
Men's
Health Network
National
Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes
of Health (NIH)
National
Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of
Health (NIH)
National
Mental Health Association
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June 2003
In
This Issue:
Risk
For Premature Cardiac Death Reduced With Exercise
Experts
Say All Exercise a Benefit
Ease
Into Exercise
Starting
a Daily Exercise Program
Light
Therapy May Boost Hormone Levels
Online
Resources
Other
Resources:
Find
a St. John's Mercy Physician
Sports
& Therapy Services at St. John's Mercy
Men's
Health Information
St.
John's Mercy Classes and Programs
In
Other Men's Health News:
Study
Suggests Light Therapy May Boost Hormone Levels
Researchers
who have been exploring the effects of light therapy on mood are
reporting that exposure to ultra-bright lamps appears to boost the
body's ability to produce hormones.
The findings of the study, supported
by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), appear in the medical
journal Neuroscience Letters.
Researchers say it is possible that
light therapy could one day be used to enhance the production of
testosterone in men, potentially increasing sexual potency and muscle
mass.
"It's a very promising lead,"
says study co-author Dr. Daniel Kripke, a professor of psychiatry
at the University of California at San Diego. Light therapy is natural,
and could be a safe and effective way to "accomplish some important
health goals," he says.
Researchers have known for decades
that exposure to light affects the way animals live. Changes in
the light from the sun, for example, automatically set off hibernation
in some mammals. Seasonal changes in light also control reproduction
in rats and mice so they only mate during warmer months, Dr. Kripke
says.
Researchers are still working to understand
how exposure to light affects humans. Dr. Kripke and colleagues
discovered two decades ago that light therapy - shining powerful
lamps at people's eyes - affects mood.
Light therapy has become a common treatment
for seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression that
may appear when days grow shorter.
In his new study, Dr. Kripke enlisted
11 healthy male volunteers, aged 19 to 30, to test whether light
affects the body levels of luteinizing hormone, which is produced
by the pituitary gland and assists in the production of other hormones,
such as testosterone.
Researchers, however, did not monitor
testosterone levels in the men they studied.
In the study, the men woke at 5 a.m.
for five days and spent an hour in front of a light box giving off
1,000 lux, or much more brightness than typical indoor lighting.
Later, they spent five days in front of a light box that only gave
out 10 lux.
Researchers found the body levels of
luteinizing hormone grew by 69.5 percent in the men while they were
exposed to the high levels of light.
The researchers hope to test light
therapy on people with low sex drives and on postmenopausal women.
A hormone expert suggests that research
is still needed to determine the relationship between enhanced testosterone
and light therapy.
Dr. Ronald Swerdloff, chief of the
division of endocrinology at Harbor UCLA Medical Center, says the
newly released study was relatively small. He says it is not clear
if the changes in the levels of the hormone are enough to cause
significant changes in the body.
Always consult your physician for more
information.
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