From Head to
Heart: The Benefits of Exercise
Studies reveal
regular physical activity antidote for depression, cardiovascular
disease
The great news: Research
into the possible health benefits of regular physical activity
invariably discovers that there are some, and recent findings have kept
that glowing record going. From head to heart, and, obviously, well
beyond, exercise seems an effective, multipurpose remedy for many of the
ills that beset us. A study conducted by Dr. William J. Strawbridge and
his colleagues at the Public Health Institute, in Berkeley, California,
concluded that elderly individuals who remained active were less likely
to be depressed or to become depressed.
The researchers tracked 1,947
people, ages 50 to 95, over a period of five years, utilizing an
eight-point scale to measure the amount of exercise they received. Each
one-point increase, the investigators ascertained, reduced the risk of
being depressed by 10%, and of becoming depressed by 17%. The
improvements were clear even after adjustments were made for age, sex,
ethnicity, financial strain, chronic conditions, disability, body mass
index (BMI), smoking, alcohol consumption, and social relations.
“Regular
physical activity, such as walking, exercising, swimming, or playing
active sports, for older adults, will reduce the risk of subsequent
depression,” Strawbridge told Reuters Health. “This benefit is similar
for those with and without physical disabilities.” The researchers also
noted that active individuals were less likely to engage in unhealthy
behaviors, such as smoking, drinking to excess, or becoming obese.
Another recent study, conducted by
Dr. JoAnn E. Manson, of the Harvard Medical School, revealed that women
who participated in at least two-and-a-half hours of either moderate or
intense exercise per week were 30% less likely to develop cardiovascular
disease than their sedentary peers. There was no difference in results
between individuals who worked out at modest or more vigorous levels,
leading Manson to observe, “Women can truly ‘walk away’ from
cardiovascular disease.” The study involved 73,743 women, ages 50 to 79,
who were followed for a three-year period.
An interesting, unanticipated,
discovery was that prolonged sitting seemed to mitigate the benefits of
exercise: women who spent more time sitting were more likely to develop
cardiovascular disease than those who didn’t, even when exercise levels
were the same. “Try to get up off the couch, or away from the desk,”
Manson suggested.
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