Heart disease patients live longer when they exercise

Older adults with heart disease whoregularly exercise, even a little bit, may live longer than theywould without any physical activity, a Norwegian study suggests.

Researchers examined three decades of data on 3,307 adultswho had been diagnosed with coronary heart disease after a heartattack or an episode of severe chest pain, known as angina,caused by inadequate blood supply to the heart. By the time halfof the patients had been in the study for at least 15 years,1,493 of them had died.

Compared to people who were inactive, participants whoconsistently got the minimum recommended amount of exercise foradults were 36 per cent less likely to die during the study. Ifthese very active people scaled back their workouts over time,they were still 26 per cent less likely to die than sedentaryindividuals.

There is no doubt that weight loss or weight maintenanceprograms that incorporate exercise are healthier than programsbased solely on caloric restriction, even though the lattercarries also multiple health benefits.-ClaudeBouchard

And even a little exercise was tied to a longer life.

People who consistently exercised, though less than theaverage, were still 19 per cent less likely to die than sedentaryparticipants. And if these less active individuals stoppedexercising during the study they were still 18 per cent lesslikely to die than people who never exercised at all.

"This is important as most individuals tend to change theirlevels of activity over time," said lead study author TrineMoholdt, a researcher at the Norwegian University of Science andTechnology in Trondheim.

Maintain a healthy weight

The World Health Organization recommends that adults aged 18to 64 get at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobicexercise or at least 75 minutes of intense activity every week.Ideally, each exercise session should be at least 10 minuteslong.

Moderate activities can include things like walking,gardening, ballroom dancing, water aerobics, or taking aleisurely bike ride. Vigorous exercise includes things likejogging, lap swimming, and cycling at a pace of at least 10miles an hour, according to the American Heart Association.

When participants joined the current study, they weretypically in their late 60s. Almost half of them were inactive,and many were overweight or obese.

Losing weight didn't appear linked to better survival odds,researchers report in the Journal of the American College ofCardiology.

Instead, people who lost weight were 36 per cent more likelyto die of cardiovascular disease during the study. Gaining
weight wasn't associated with higher odds of premature death.

One of the study's limitations is that researchers lackeddata on whether any weight loss was intentional or related tohealth problems.

The analysis wasn't a controlled experiment designed toprove whether or how changes in activity levels or weight mightimpact longevity.

"We have known for decades that maintaining a healthy weightand being physically active were independently associated withlower risks of experiencing a coronary heart disease event or ofdying from any cause," said Claude Bouchard of the PenningtonBiomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

This study offers fresh evidence that it matters how peoplelose weight, Bouchard, author of an accompanying editorial, saidby email.

"There is no doubt that weight loss or weight maintenanceprograms that incorporate exercise are healthier than programsbased solely on caloric restriction, even though the lattercarries also multiple health benefits," Bouchard said.