Exercise
Boosts
Cholesterol-Lowering Diet Effects
Another
study has demonstrated the considerable health benefits of moderate
exercise.
In
a study of people with heart disease who were trying to lower their
cholesterol levels by sticking to a reduced-fat diet, adding an
average of just 30 minutes a day of moderate exercise helped most
reach their cholesterol goals.
The
study included 21 men and 6 women with heart disease. At the start of
the study, all participants were on a cholesterol-lowering diet that
included less than 200 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol a day and fewer
than 7% of calories from saturated fat. More than half of the
participants were taking cholesterol-lowering drugs, but they did not
change their dose during the 6-month study.
Each
participant was advised to continue on the reduced-fat diet but to
begin exercising 30 to 60 minutes three to six times a week. The
exercise program emphasized moderate exercise, such as brisk walking,
slow jogging and riding an exercise bike, according to the report in
The American Journal of Cardiology.
Six
months later, 89% of participants had lowered their LDL
("bad") cholesterol to acceptable levels, reports a team led
by Dr. Francine K. Welty of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in
Boston, Massachusetts. The participants exercised an average of 30
minutes a day.
For
people with heart disease who have LDL levels between 100 and 129 mg
per deciliter (dL) of blood, treatment with cholesterol-lowering drugs
is optional. Once LDL reaches 130 mg/dL, however, drug therapy is
usually recommended. Of the 10 people in the study who initially had
LDL levels greater than 130 mg/dL, four were able to reduce LDL levels
to 125 mg/dL or below, and in three patients, levels dropped to 100
mg/dL or below.
After
6 months of exercising, patients also experienced an average drop in
triglycerides, another type of blood fat that is linked to heart
disease. Blood pressure also declined, but HDL, the helpful form of
cholesterol, did not decline.
"Our
findings provide support for the use of exercise and weight loss in
achieving LDL cholesterol goal" in people with heart disease who
have LDL cholesterol levels between 100 mg/dL and 129 mg/dL, Welty and
her colleagues conclude.
They
note that weight loss, and not just sticking to a reduced-fat diet,
was important for lowering LDL levels. The amount of weight loss was
related to the size of the decline in LDL levels, according to the
report. SOURCE:
American Journal of Cardiology 2002;89:1201-1204
FACT
Unhealthy
behaviors account for 40 percent of premature deaths in this country.
Some 46.5 million American adults continue to smoke, despite the
well-known dangers. Nearly 14 million of us drink too much alcohol,
increasing our risk for liver disease, accidents and trauma, and
possibly even some cancers. Sixty-one percent of us are overweight or
obese and nearly 40 percent of us are too sedentary --increasing our
susceptibility to heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.
