A large scale study has revealed interesting facts
An extensive study in which more than 116,000 people had participated and were studied for over 30 years has found that exercising for even 150 minutes a week can lower the risk of death by a large extent.
The participants were from the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1988–2018). They were asked to answer a questionnaire with detailed self reports of physical activity.
The research study titled "Long-Term Leisure-Time Physical Activity Intensity and All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality: A Prospective Cohort of US Adults" was published in July 2022 in Circulation, a scientific journal published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins for the American Heart Association.
Long COVID: Three physical factors that could increase your risk by up to 50%
Oral cancer: Subtle signs that can indicate cancerous growth in mouth
It is to be noted that heart diseases are one of the leading causes of death worldwide and are accountable for more than 30% of the deaths.
What did the researchers find out?
The researchers found that physical activity, even in moderate duration, reduced the risk of all cause deaths.
The study saw a dip in mortality risk in those people who were engaged in physical activities 150-599 minutes per week. "Participants reporting 2 to 4 times above the recommended minimum of long-term leisure-time activity (150-299 minutes per week) or moderate activity (300-599 minutes per week), had 2 to 4% and 3 to 13% additional lower mortality," says a health report.
"The nearly maximum association with lower mortality was achieved by performing ≈150 to 300 min/wk of long-term leisure-time VPA, 300 to 600 min/wk of long-term leisure-time MPA, or an equivalent combination of both," the study found.
What do experts say?
"When it comes to exercise, more might be better. A new study found that people who followed the recommendations for physical activity lowered their risk of dying from any cause by as much as 21%. But adults who exercised 2X to 4X the recommended amount might lower their mortality risk by as much as 31%," the American Heart Association (AHA) has captioned a social media post on the study and the importance of physical activity.
32% deaths worldwide happen due to heart issues
One of the leading causes of deaths in the world, heart diseases claim close to 18 million lives annually. Most of the deaths associated with heart diseases are due to heart attacks and strokes.
Heart diseases also account for premature deaths. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says, one third of these deaths occur prematurely in people under 70 years of age.
Out of the 17 million premature deaths (under the age of 70) due to noncommunicable diseases in 2019, 38% were caused by heart diseases.
In the latest report on top causes of death worldwide, the WHO had said that heart diseases were the number one killer among all non-communicable diseases.
What do other research studies say on the importance of exercise on heart health?
This is not the first time a study has talked about the effect of physical activity on heart health; though it might be one of the first studies done on such a massive scale and over a longer duration.
As per a 2010 study: More activity is associated with a lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease when compared to less physical activity. Although there may be a threshold over which activity levels convey greater risk, only those who are totally sedentary (i.e., “weekend warriors”) or who have pre-existing health conditions are at risk for acute CV events with sudden, vigorous-intensity physical activity. "The gradual introduction of activity combined with physician evaluation prior to starting an exercise program may mitigate these risks," the study suggests.
A 2003 study published in Circulation journal of AHA stressed on the risk that a sedentary lifestyle poses on the human heart. "A sedentary lifestyle is one of the 5 major risk factors (along with high blood pressure, abnormal values for blood lipids, smoking, and obesity) for cardiovascular disease," the study said and had suggested walking, golf playing, calisthenics, gardening, cycling, swimming and climbing hills among various physical activities one should do.
What are the risk factors?
There are several risk factors for heart diseases. Overuse of tobacco, consumption of more salt, less consumption of seasonal fruits and vegetables, no physical activity, and overdrinking of alcohol are the risk factors associated with heart disease.
"The effects of behavioural risk factors may show up in individuals as raised blood pressure, raised blood glucose, raised blood lipids, and overweight and obesity," warns the WHO.
Apart from this, hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol also influence heart diseases. "In addition, drug treatment of hypertension, diabetes and high blood lipids are necessary to reduce cardiovascular risk and prevent heart attacks and strokes among people with these conditions," the global health agency has said.
Things to do
The symptoms associated with heart diseases are too subtle to be observed. Only when it poses a risk to your health, does it become visible.
However, if you have a history of heart disease running in the family you need to be extra careful about your health. Also, those who have diabetes and/ or high cholesterol should also be careful about heart diseases.
Apart from these factors lifestyle habits like drinking, smoking or having sedentary life can also influence the occurrence of heart complications to a large extent.
Additionally, diet also plays a crucial role. Always try to portion your meal with an exact amount of nutrients and vitamins. Include a portion of seasonal fruits and vegetables on your food plate.