Why does exercise prevent heart disease?You know that running does great things for the cardiovascular system cardiovascular system: see circulatory system. cardiovascular system System of vessels that convey blood to and from tissues throughout the body, bringing nutrients and oxygen and removing wastes and carbon dioxide. , but you probably don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. what goes on in the blood stream and how it relates to your daily run. Here's at least part of the answer. Certain components in the blood stream called cytokines Cytokines Chemicals made by the cells that act on other cells to stimulate or inhibit their function. Cytokines that stimulate growth are called "growth factors. act either to promote atherosclerosis (atherogenic ath·er·o·gen·ic adj. Initiating, increasing, or accelerating atherogenesis. atherogenic adjective Referring to the ability to initiate or accelerate atherogenesis—the deposition of atheromas, lipids, and ) or prevent it (atheroprotective). Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association is an international peer-reviewed general medical journal, published 48 times per year by the American Medical Association. JAMA is the most widely circulated medical journal in the world. studied the effect of long-term exercise on those blood factors. Forty-three men and women with an average age of 48, who were at risk for heart disease, were evaluated before and after a six-month exercise program. The participants worked out for an average of two-and-a-half hours per week for six months. After the exercise program, production of the atherogenic blood factors fell by 58.3% and the level of atheroprotective factors rose by 35.9%. In any individual, the amount of change was proportional to the level of activity. In other words Adv. 1. in other words - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke" put differently , those participants who exercised more, enjoyed more of the beneficial effects in their blood levels. Those who exercised less had a smaller response. Within the limits of this study it appears that with every additional mile you run, your body is producing more protection and less destruction of your arteries. Although there is likely an upper limit (or point of diminishing returns), this study gives you one more reason to run to your heart's content. (The Journal of the American Medical Association, 1999, Vol. 281, No. 18, pp. 1722-1727) |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion