According to a new study, men who regularly engage in aerobic exercise might delay the onset of onset of age-related high cholesterol; thus, lowering their risk for heart disease and stroke. The study was published in the May 19 edition the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
The study group comprised 11,418 men who attended a Dallas Texas medical clinic. The subjects were primarily Caucasian, college-educated, and financially solvent; they were followed from 1970 through 2006. The men were excluded from the analysis if they had a history of heart attack, stroke, or cancer at any point during the study period, or if they reported having elevated cholesterol or triglycerides during clinic visits.
The men periodically had their blood drawn for cholesterol and then asked to run on a treadmill to measure their cardiorespiratory fitness. On average, each man underwent at least three exams testing cholesterol and fitness levels. Men who could run longer and faster, which indicated that their bodies more easily delivered oxygen to muscles, also had lower cholesterol levels.
The study authors noted that the benefits of physical fitness in improving cholesterol levels are the largest in young to middle-age adults and tend to decrease gradually with older age. They noted that their findings should reinforce the importance of young to middle-age men incorporating regular aerobic exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle. s Health.
The better men performed on fitness tests, the more likely they were to have lower total cholesterol, as well as lower levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL; “bad” cholesterol”). More physically fit men also had higher levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL “good” cholesterol).
Men with higher cardiorespiratory fitness levels were found to have better cholesterol profiles than less fit men from their early 20s until at least their early 60s; however, the difference diminished with older age. In addition, men with lower fitness levels reached abnormal cholesterol levels before age 40.
The authors noted that a limitation of the study was that it lacked data on cholesterol-lowering medications and did not track changes in eating habits that might affect cholesterol levels. The study also had limited data for the oldest men in the study. Despite those limitations, the researchers note that their study adds to a growing body of evidence supporting the benefits of lifelong physical activity in preventing age-related diseases.
Researchers involved in the benefits of exercise note that to achieve the fitness levels necessary to ward off age-related high cholesterol, men should engage in moderate exercise 150 minutes per week or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise. These activities might include walking, running, swimming, or cycling.
Take home message:
Although this study was conducted on men, it is likely that women would derive similar benefits from aerobic exercise.
Credit : Dr. Rajesh Sharma (Paediatric Cardiovascular Surgery Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon, 27 Years Experience)
