A new study published in the European Heart Journal shows that even if there are currently no symptoms. Lack of physical activity can significantly increase the risk of heart attack in the long term.
Cardiorespiratory health describes our body’s ability to deliver oxygen to the muscles during physical activity. Specifically, the term refers to the “efficiency of the heart, lung, and vascular system.”
Numerous studies have linked cardiorespiratory health to various positive health outcomes, from preventing cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality to avoiding diabetes and improving insulin resistance.
However, most of these previous studies relied on participants’ self-reported adaptation levels.
The new research uses a more precise method of measuring cardiorespiratory health and highlights another benefit.
New research has found that higher health levels can reduce the risk of heart attack by half. That means Exercise reduce risk heart attack. On the contrary, researchers are advised that even in the absence of current warning symptoms. Poor health can increase future risks.
Bjarne Nes from the Trondheim Heart Movement Research Group of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology is the corresponding and last author of the study.
Study fitness level and heart attack risk
Nes and his colleagues analyzed the cardiorespiratory health of more than 4,500 people who participated in an extensive health survey called HUNT3.
At the beginning of the study, no participants had a history of cardiovascular disease, lung disease, cancer or hypertension.
More than 50% of the participants were women, and more than 80% of them had a very low risk of developing cardiovascular disease within 10 years.
Scientists use the “gold standard method”-or maximal oxygen uptake-to directly measure the health of participants.
Maximum oxygen uptake refers to the maximum amount of oxygen the body can absorb during exercise. According to Nes, this is “the most accurate measure of fitness.”
High fitness halves the risk of heart attack, Exercise reduce risk heart attack
At the end of the study, 147 of the participants had had a heart attack or had developed angina pectoris-two conditions caused blockage or narrowed coronary arteries.
Researchers’ analysis shows that there is a correlation between reduced cardiovascular risk and improved health.
“Even in the seemingly healthy population, the top 25% of the most suitable individuals are actually only half the risk of the least suitable 25%,” Nes reports.
In addition, even small improvements in cardiorespiratory health have brought significant benefits to heart health. In other words, an increase of 3.5 points per workout is associated with a 15%. Reduction in the risk of heart attack or angina.
“We found that in the nine years after the measurement, there was a strong link between higher health levels and lower risk of heart attack and angina,” Nes said.
“We know that patients with low oxygen intake are at increased risk of premature death and cardiovascular disease,” he continued.
“Our research shows that poor health is an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease, even for healthy women and relatively healthy men.”
Bjarne Nes
‘Use training as preventive medicine’
Dr. Jon Magne Letnes, the first author of the study, also commented on these findings. “Our findings should encourage people to use training as preventive medicine,” Dr Rice said.
“A few months of regular exercise can help you reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.”
Dr. Rice explained that the insights provided by cardiorespiratory health go beyond exercise endurance.
He said: “Fitness is not only a measure of how much training you have received in life, but it can also tell you how many genes you have.”
“Other factors such as obesity may also affect health. So we have measured a lot of body functions, and from other studies. We know that genes and physical activity will affect the function of your heart and blood vessels,” Dr. Letnes explained. .
The first author of the study believes that doctors should consider health measures when assessing heart disease risk.
“Although measuring oxygen uptake in a doctor’s office may be inconvenient and difficult, there are still some simple and relatively accurate calculators that can estimate health and disease risks well,” he suggested.
