Small fitness gains provide big heart disease protection
Even a slight improvement in your heart/lung fitness could reduce your risk of a heart attack, a new study reveals. Between 2006 and 2008, researchers assessed the cardiorespiratory (heart/lung) fitness of just over 4,500 men and women in Norway. None had heart disease, high blood pressure or cancer, and most were considered at low risk for heart disease over the next 10 years. By 2017, however, 147 of the study participants had suffered a heart attack or developed angina, conditions caused by narrowing or blockage of heart arteries.
More investigation showed that the risk of heart attack and angina steadily declined as cardiorespiratory fitness increased. We found a strong link between higher fitness levels and a lower risk of heart attack and angina pectoris over the nine years following the measurements that were taken, said Bjarne Nes of the Cardiac Exercise Research Group (CERG) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim. The study used a fitness calculator developed at CERG, which measures the bodys capacity to transport and use oxygen during exercise. It found that for each increase of 3.5 fitness points, the risk of heart attack and angina decreased by 15 per cent.
The findings suggest that even a small improvement in cardiorespiratory fitness can benefit heart health, the researchers said.
Study first author Jon Magne Letnes said, Our results should encourage people to use training as preventive medicine. A few months of regular exercise that gets you out of breath can be an effective strategy for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Letnes is a doctoral candidate in the universitys department of circulation and medical imaging.
Sanjay Sharma, a leading expert in sports and heart disease, wrote an editorial that accompanied the study.
There is apparently no upper limit for training when it comes to the beneficial effects for the heart, Sharma wrote. In addition to serving as medical director of the London Marathon, he is a professor of cardiology at St. Georges, University of London.
Regular exercise is one of the best things you can do for your health. It has many benefits, including improving your overall health and fitness, and reducing your risk for many chronic diseases. There are many different types of exercise; it is important that you pick the right types for you. Most people benefit from a combination of them:
Endurance, or aerobic, activities increase your breathing and heart rate. They keep your heart, lungs, and circulatory system healthy and improve your overall fitness. Examples include brisk walking, jogging, swimming, and biking.
Strength, or resistance training, exercises make your muscles stronger. Some examples are lifting weights and using a resistance band.
Balance exercises can make it easier to walk on uneven surfaces and help prevent falls. To improve your balance, try tai chi or exercises like standing on one leg.
Flexibility exercises stretch your muscles and can help your body stay limber. Yoga and doing various stretches can make you more flexible.
Fitting regular exercise into your daily schedule may seem difficult at first. But you can start slowly, and break your exercise time into chunks. Even doing ten minutes at a time is fine. You can work your way up to doing the recommended amount of exercise.
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