|
HowToPreventHeartDisease.com |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Why One Should Be Active To Prevent Heart Disease? Cardiovascular disease, which includes heart disease and stroke, is the leading cause of death globally, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Risk factors like an unhealthy diet, obesity, inactivity, smoking and drinking can all raise one’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease. WHO also estimated that by 2030, about 1 in 9 adults globally have diabetes, and the disease will be the 7th leading cause of death. Most of these people have Type-2 diabetes that is linked to obesity and aging. If diabetes is not treated appropriately, it can eventually lead to nerve damage, amputations, blindness, heart disease and stroke. Undoubtedly, a healthy lifestyle that can help prevent people from developing these chronic diseases should consist of having a healthy diet and regular physical exercises, in additional to not smoking and drinking. But a recent study argued that people who are inactive for hours on each day could just face an increased risk of diabetes and heart disease even if they also exercise regularly. Being done by a team of researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, San Diego State University, University of North Carolina, University of Miami and University of Illinois, the study was published online September 28, 2015 in ‘Circulation’, the journal of the American Heart Association.
12,083 participants, aged between 18 and 74 years, from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) conducted between 2008 and 2011 were involved in the study. They were asked to wear activity monitors for 16 hours daily for 1 week. Most participants followed through for at least one day. On average, they were inactive for 11.9 hours daily. The participants were then divided into 4 groups based on the amount of inactive time they logged. Analysis showed that compared to the group with the most physical activity, the least active group had 6 percent lower levels HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, the good one that helps lower the risk of heart disease. The least active group also had 16 percent higher levels of triglycerides, fats in the blood that can make the risk of coronary artery disease higher. This group of participants also had higher levels of sugar in the blood and less ability to process the hormone insulin, indicating a risk of diabetes.
Even when the participants had at least 150
minutes a week of moderate intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous
workouts, the American recommended physical activity, The study did have some limitations, though. The motion trackers used in the study did not distinguish between sitting and standing, and the study only looked at risk factors and not at hard outcomes such as heart attack or stroke. Furthermore, the study was not designed to provide proof of a direct link between inactivity and the risk factors that can lead to diabetes and heart disease. Nevertheless, the findings are entirely consistent with many prior studies, as pointed out by other health experts not involved in the study. While the study focused on Hispanic population, there is no reason to think that these links would be different in a Hispanic population versus other populations in the United States. The argument that has been made by many health experts is that one should be as active as possible during the day with even minor movements and avoid long periods of sitting, in addition to regular exercise. For individuals who are at high risk of getting cardiovascular disease and diabetes, they should work with their doctors to manage their specific risk factors through diet and lifestyle modifications, medications and other strategies that can help. Remember this, a healthy lifestyle is not just getting exercise but also limiting inactivity!
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Copyright
2007-2012 © HowToPreventHeartDisease.com . All Rights Reserved.d........ |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
