Moderate Intensity Exercise Does Not Reduce CholesterolApril 01, 2004Only high intensity exercise reduces cholesterol, heard the audience at a Physiological Society conference in Glasgow this week. According to a study conducted at Canterbury Christ Church University College, if you want to lower your cholesterol doing nothing is as good as undertaking moderate intensity exercise - neither has any effect. There have been many studies linking the concentration of low-density cholesterol in the blood with heart disease. Along with the general population, those at risk of heart disease are usually advised to take exercise, but there is a lack of studies showing how intense that exercise should be to reduce the concentration of low-density cholesterol in the blood. In order to investigate this Gary O'Donovan and colleagues advertised for non-smoking, inactive male volunteers around the age of 40. The men were split randomly into three groups, one of which did no exercise, one group cycled gently to work off 400 Calories and the third group cycled very hard to burn off the same amount of calories. The exercise was repeated three times a week for more than 20 weeks. At the end of the study, the only group who had reduced their blood cholesterol concentration was the high intensity group. Gary O'Donovan commented: 'In order to burn off the amount of calories these guys did you would need to walk for over an hour every day. These findings suggest you'd be far better off jumping on a bike for a short session three times a week.' The US Surgeon General's report on physical activity and health recommends that people who are moderately active should include some vigorous activity in their exercise regimes. O'Donovan agrees with this view. "These findings are in keeping with mortality data that consistently shows that vigorously active people enjoy lower risk of heart disease than moderately active people." The study was funded by the British Heart Foundation. Physiological Society, The |
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| Related Heart Disease Current Events and Heart Disease News Articles Multiple health concerns surface as winter, vitamin D deficiences arrive A string of recent discoveries about the multiple health benefits of vitamin D has renewed interest in this multi-purpose nutrient, increased awareness of the huge numbers of people who are deficient in it, spurred research and even led to an appreciation of it as "nature's antibiotic." Carvedilol shown to have unique characteristics among beta blockers In a new study, researchers report that a class of heart medications called beta-blockers can have a helpful, or harmful, effect on the heart, depending on their molecular activity. ESC to give talks on Diabetes in three cities in China As a result of successful events organised last year, a second Joint Scientific Forum, organised by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), two of the most respected professional medical organisations in Europe, will be held from 27-29 November at three venues across China - Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Saving the single cysteine: new antioxidant system found We've all read studies about the health benefits of having a life partner. The same thing is true at the molecular level, where amino acids known as cysteines are much more vulnerable to damage when single than when paired up with other cysteines. Drug for erectile dysfunction improves heart function in young heart-disease patients Heart function significantly improved in children and young adults with single-ventricle congenital heart disease who have had the Fontan operation following treatment with sildenafil, a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension, say researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Study raises concerns about outdoor second-hand smoke Indoor smoking bans have forced smokers at bars and restaurants onto outdoor patios, but a new University of Georgia study in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that these outdoor smoking areas might be creating a new health hazard. Night Beat, Overtime and a Disrupted Sleep Pattern Can Harm Officers' Health A police officer who works the night shift, typically from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., already is at a disadvantage when it comes to getting a good "night's" sleep. Your Own Stem Cells Can Treat Heart Disease The largest national stem cell study for heart disease showed the first evidence that transplanting a potent form of adult stem cells into the heart muscle of subjects with severe angina results in less pain and an improved ability to walk. The transplant subjects also experienced fewer deaths than those who didn't receive stem cells. Vitamin B niacin offers no extra benefit to statin therapy in seniors already diagnosed with CAD The routine prescription of extended-release niacin, a B vitamin (1,500 milligrams daily), in combination with traditional cholesterol-lowering therapy offers no extra benefit in correcting arterial narrowing and diminishing plaque buildup in seniors who already have coronary artery disease, a new vascular imaging study from Johns Hopkins experts shows. Heart and bone damage from low vitamin D tied to declines in sex hormones Researchers at Johns Hopkins are reporting what is believed to be the first conclusive evidence in men that the long-term ill effects of vitamin D deficiency are amplified by lower levels of the key sex hormone estrogen, but not testosterone. More Heart Disease Current Events and Heart Disease News Articles |
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