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 Researchers examined data from 39 countries on 15,486 older adults
with heart disease who completed questionnaires about the number of
hours each week they devoted to mild, moderate and vigorous physical
activities. Then researchers tracked everyone to see how many died
or had serious problems like a heart attack or stroke.
More than half the participants were followed for nearly 4 years.
Overall, researchers calculated that participants who doubled their
weekly activity levels could lower their odds of premature death
from all causes by 10 percent and cut their chances of an early
death from heart problems by 8 percent.
The most pronounced gains in survival odds would occur for people
who went from getting little or no exercise to getting even small
amounts of mild activity like yoga, strolling or light housework,
the study found.
“Our study in a large group of patients with coronary heart disease
from many countries confirms the benefits from undertaking moderate
and vigorous exercise,” said lead study author Dr. Ralph Stewart of
Auckland City Hospital and the University of Auckland in New
Zealand.
“In addition, we found that people who did a modest amount of milder
intensity physical activity also had lower mortality compared to
those who reported little or no exercise,” Stewart said by email.
“These benefits were also seen in people with more severe heart
disease.”
For cardiovascular health, the American Heart Association recommends
at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity five days
a week, or at least 25 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity three
days a week, or a combination of the two.
Moderate activity - which causes a light sweat, or only modest
increases in breathing or heart rate - includes fast walking, lawn
mowing or heavy cleaning. Vigorous activity includes running or race
walking, lap swimming or aerobics.
At the start of the study, all of the participants had already had a
heart attack or been treated for serious health problems related to
heart disease. They also had at least one other risk factor for
death or serious complications related to heart disease such as
diabetes, high cholesterol, smoking or age at least 60.
The study didn’t find that the amount of exercise people got was
linked to their odds of having a heart attack or stroke, researchers
report in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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But it did find that the relationship between increased exercise and
decreased mortality was strongest for patients at the highest risk
of dying because of their risk factors for death and complications
from heart disease.
The study wasn’t a controlled experiment designed to prove whether
or how exercise habits influence the odds of death for people with
heart disease.
Other limitations include the reliance on participants to accurately
recall and report on their exercise habits, as well as a lack of
data on a variety of social, economic, cultural and societal factors
that can influence physical activity levels.
However, because previous research on exercise and longevity for
heart disease has often focused on supervised workout programs, the
current study offers fresh evidence of the benefits of activities
people do on their own, said Dr. Thijs Eijsvogels of Radboud
University Medical Center in the Netherlands, author of an
accompanying editorial.
“Little volumes of physical activity resulted in large decreases of
mortality risks,” Eijsvogels said by email.
“This finding is important for patients as it highlights that every
minute of exercise is beneficial for your health,” Eijsvogels added.
“So if you cannot achieve the national exercise recommendations of
150 minutes a week, try to perform exercise at a volume that is
feasible for you.”
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2fzzD5X Journal of the American College of
Cardiology, online September 25, 2017.
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