Running from Heart Disease?
Saturday, July 30, 2011 at 6:07AMHow fast you can run when you're in your 40s or 50s may say more about your risk for heart disease than your cholesterol levels, blood pressure, smoking history, and whether or not you have diabetes. This finding, from two separate studies at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, showed that 55-year-old men who can run an eight-minute mile, regardless of other contributors factors, have only a 10 percent lifetime risk of developing heart disease, while those who need 15 minutes or more to run a mile have a 30 percent lifetime risk. To reach their conclusions, the investigators reviewed data on more than 11,000 men who had treadmill exercise tests before 1990. The study was published in the April 12th, 2011 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
The second study found that fitness levels were also helpful in identifying the long-term risk of heart disease in women. Here, the research team followed more than 66,000 men and women ages 20 to 90 for up to 36 years (or until they died) and again found that adding fitness to the traditional risk factors for heart disease significantly improved the ability to classify the participants' lifetime risks. This study was published in the April 5th, 2011 issue of Circulation.
My take? This is welcome news. It reinforces the importance of aerobic exercise for cardiovascular health and shows that keeping fit does more for cardiovascular health than focusing on cholesterol levels or even blood pressure. Aerobic exercise conditions our hearts and arteries and respiratory systems, increases stamina and general fitness and promotes cleansing of the blood by stimulating circulation and perspiration. This type of activity increases the flow of oxygen to all organs, enabling them to work more efficiently. It also burns calories, undoing some of the damage we do by eating too much. In addition, it strengthens the immune system, reduces stress, lowers serum cholesterol and tones the nervous system.
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Reader Comments (2)
This is very interesting information. However, I am concerned about the use of running as a cardio due to knee injuries. What would you recommend for those that are looking for a good cardio workout that is also not harmful to people with knee or back injuries?
I agree with Mira's concern "about the use of running as a cardio due to knee injuries." I ran 10K every day, rain or shine, for 11 years. I was in great shape, but now years later, all that running was not without a price, i.e. sore knees and some hip pain. I now walk, and find that I get a good cardio workout without all the pounding, as with running. I walk 4 miles daily, 6 days a week. I do a mile in anywhere from 13.25 - 13.75 minutes, or four miles in 53 to 55 minutes. Walking is a great weight bearing exercise that gives you a good cardio workout, tones your muscles, keeps your weight under control, and is good for every organ in your body.
For the joint pain I take, upon Dr. Weil's advice, turmeric, ginger, and evening primrose oil; I also take Avoca. Since starting this regimen I have no more pain. The other day there was an emergency I came upon when I was walking, and I had to run 1/4 of a mile. I was amazed that after sprinting so fast, I had no pain afterwards.