Physical Activity and Heart Disease

[Guest guest]

I sometimes skim over the posts here and I apologize if this

information was cited in a previous post. I think the article is

interesting because I believe it suggests exercise is a better

indicator of heart disease than caloric intake, although, of course,

I do not believe anyone here would argue that caloric intake is not

an important variable for overall health.

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003 & articleID=00018668-208B-

113E-936D83414B7F4945

SCIENCE NEWS

September 08, 2004

Physical Activity Better Predictor of Heart Disease Risk Than Obesity

Is

Although many women watch the numbers on their scales very closely,

that isn't the best way to determine the risk of cardiovascular

disease, a new study suggests. Findings published today in the

Journal of the American Medical Association indicate that a woman's

level of physical activity is a better predictor of future heart

health than weight alone is.

Many previous studies have shown that being overweight increases the

risk of heart disease using assessments such as waist circumference,

waist-hip ratio and body mass index (BMI), a formula that

incorporates weight and height. " The tendency to focus on weight as a

risk factor fails to address the related but more important lack of

physical fitness among overweight individuals, " remarks C. Noel

Bairey Merz of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. In the

new work, Merz and his collaborators analyzed data collected from 906

women who participated in an established health study between 1996

and 2000. Forty-one percent of the women were characterized as obese

and 76 percent were overweight. Although women weighing more had a

greater number of heart problems, the scientists did not detect a

correlation between their BMIs or abdominal obesity and the

likelihood of coronary artery disease or adverse cardiovascular

events. The participants also filled out two questionnaires designed

to gauge their physical activity levels; the team determined that low

activity scores correlated directly with an increased risk of adverse

cardiovascular events.

" Our findings suggest that self-reported level of physical activity

and functional capacity are more important than weight status or body

type for determining cardiovascular risk in women, " Merz explains.

The current guidelines from the American Heart Association encourage

women to participate in 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical

activity most days. -- Graham

[Guest guest]

Hi :

My take on that study is the following:

If you are female and have just presented yourself with clinical

symptoms of heart disease, then it is better to try to walk around

the block occasionally than to go to bed and stay there.

Very approximately, it does seem to me that that is what it

indicates. Not much more.

Rodney.

> I sometimes skim over the posts here and I apologize if this

> information was cited in a previous post. I think the article is

> interesting because I believe it suggests exercise is a better

> indicator of heart disease than caloric intake, although, of

course,

> I do not believe anyone here would argue that caloric intake is not

> an important variable for overall health.

>

>

>

> http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003 & articleID=00018668-

208B-

> 113E-936D83414B7F4945

>

> SCIENCE NEWS

> September 08, 2004

>

>

> Physical Activity Better Predictor of Heart Disease Risk Than

Obesity

> Is

>

> Although many women watch the numbers on their scales very closely,

> that isn't the best way to determine the risk of cardiovascular

> disease, a new study suggests. Findings published today in the

> Journal of the American Medical Association indicate that a woman's

> level of physical activity is a better predictor of future heart

> health than weight alone is.

> Many previous studies have shown that being overweight increases

the

> risk of heart disease using assessments such as waist

circumference,

> waist-hip ratio and body mass index (BMI), a formula that

> incorporates weight and height. " The tendency to focus on weight as

a

> risk factor fails to address the related but more important lack of

> physical fitness among overweight individuals, " remarks C. Noel

> Bairey Merz of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. In

the

> new work, Merz and his collaborators analyzed data collected from

906

> women who participated in an established health study between 1996

> and 2000. Forty-one percent of the women were characterized as

obese

> and 76 percent were overweight. Although women weighing more had a

> greater number of heart problems, the scientists did not detect a

> correlation between their BMIs or abdominal obesity and the

> likelihood of coronary artery disease or adverse cardiovascular

> events. The participants also filled out two questionnaires

designed

> to gauge their physical activity levels; the team determined that

low

> activity scores correlated directly with an increased risk of

adverse

> cardiovascular events.

>

> " Our findings suggest that self-reported level of physical activity

> and functional capacity are more important than weight status or

body

> type for determining cardiovascular risk in women, " Merz explains.

> The current guidelines from the American Heart Association

encourage

> women to participate in 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical

> activity most days. -- Graham

[Guest guest]

Hi folks:

Just to clarify my post below: I am NOT saying that I think exercise

offers no benefits. I am fairly sure it is helpful. I jog once a

week, and have jogged a lot over the years, not because I like it, I

don't, but because I have guessed it is beneficial.

But the referenced study was done on women who had just been

diagnosed for the first time with suspected heart disease. And the

level of exercise under consideration, from the reports I have read

on the study, is " can you walk around the block or not, and if you

can, do you? " . Those, who had just be diagnosed, who said yes they

are able to walk around the block and do, had less severe CVD

problems in the next few years than those who couldn't or didn't.

One obvious conclusion one might draw from this is that those who

didn't walk around the block because they couldn't already had more

severe disease than those who could. So, of course, ONE WOULD EXPECT

them to have more CVD events in the ensuing years.

Also, I believe it is very well established that no exercise at all

(bedridden, for example) is very dangerous. They were not

considering the effects of appreciable amounts of exercise in healthy

people. So hopefully this study does not address the situation of

anyone likely to be a regular participant here.

But the lesson from this study appears to be that if you are

diagnosed with CVD for the first time, don't stay in bed.

Just my take from the reports I have read on this study - not the

study itself.

Rodney.

> > I sometimes skim over the posts here and I apologize if this

> > information was cited in a previous post. I think the article is

> > interesting because I believe it suggests exercise is a better

> > indicator of heart disease than caloric intake, although, of

> course,

> > I do not believe anyone here would argue that caloric intake is

not

> > an important variable for overall health.

> >

> >

> >

> > http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003 & articleID=00018668-

> 208B-

> > 113E-936D83414B7F4945

> >

> > SCIENCE NEWS

> > September 08, 2004

> >

> >

> > Physical Activity Better Predictor of Heart Disease Risk Than

> Obesity

> > Is

> >

> > Although many women watch the numbers on their scales very

closely,

> > that isn't the best way to determine the risk of cardiovascular

> > disease, a new study suggests. Findings published today in the

> > Journal of the American Medical Association indicate that a

woman's

> > level of physical activity is a better predictor of future heart

> > health than weight alone is.

> > Many previous studies have shown that being overweight increases

> the

> > risk of heart disease using assessments such as waist

> circumference,

> > waist-hip ratio and body mass index (BMI), a formula that

> > incorporates weight and height. " The tendency to focus on weight

as

> a

> > risk factor fails to address the related but more important lack

of

> > physical fitness among overweight individuals, " remarks C. Noel

> > Bairey Merz of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. In

> the

> > new work, Merz and his collaborators analyzed data collected from

> 906

> > women who participated in an established health study between

1996

> > and 2000. Forty-one percent of the women were characterized as

> obese

> > and 76 percent were overweight. Although women weighing more had

a

> > greater number of heart problems, the scientists did not detect a

> > correlation between their BMIs or abdominal obesity and the

> > likelihood of coronary artery disease or adverse cardiovascular

> > events. The participants also filled out two questionnaires

> designed

> > to gauge their physical activity levels; the team determined that

> low

> > activity scores correlated directly with an increased risk of

> adverse

> > cardiovascular events.

> >

> > " Our findings suggest that self-reported level of physical

activity

> > and functional capacity are more important than weight status or

> body

> > type for determining cardiovascular risk in women, " Merz

explains.

> > The current guidelines from the American Heart Association

> encourage

> > women to participate in 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical

> > activity most days. -- Graham