Risk For Premature Cardiac Death Reduced With Exercise

A Hardy Workout Found To Be Helpful

A vigorous workout is good for your heart, according to a study published online by the British Medical Journal specialty publication Heart.

Researchers conducting the study found that Irish men who worked their body the hardest saw the most significant reduction in premature cardiac death, compared to those who exercised less vigorously.

Experts Say All Exercise a Benefit

However, American physicians point out that while more exercise may be better, lesser amounts have value as well.

"While this study emphasizes the benefits of heavy exercise over lighter activity, it does not prove that lighter exercise has no value," says New York University cardiologist Dr. Dan Fisher. "And, we should not take this finding to mean that only heavy exercise is good for the heart."

Fisher says any level of activity is better than no activity, with many studies illustrating that moderate workouts done on a regular basis have important heart-healthy benefits - a tenet also endorsed by the American Heart Association and others.

Cardiologist Dr. Jeffrey Borer, chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Pathophysiology at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, says any value in this study must be seen in the "bigger picture," with an overall message that any exercise is good for the heart.

"The inference you would draw from this is that exercise is a good thing because it does reduce the risk of cardiac events and cardiac death, and that the benefits seem to be related to the intensity rather than the duration of exercise," says Dr. Borer.

However, says Dr. Borer, it's not possible to draw conclusions concerning the benefits of lesser exercise - or to infer that less exercise is not worthwhile.

The 10-year study, conducted by researchers at Belfast University in Northern Ireland, looked at 2,000 men, ages 45 to 59, with no evidence of heart disease. The participants, all living in Cardiphilly, Wales, answered a questionnaire detailing their medical history, usual level of leisure and work-time physical activity, and information on lifestyle factors, including diet and smoking.

Their levels of activity were then classified into the following three categories: light (walking, bowling, sailing), moderate (golf, digging, dancing), and heavy (climbing stairs, swimming, jogging).

Men in the study group were examined at regular intervals over the 10-year period. During that time, researchers documented 252 deaths, with 193 men dying due to heart disease or stroke.

Among those who died of cardiac-related ailments, researchers found those who participated in the most aggressive physical activity lived the longest, while those who performed less vigorous activity died sooner.

"Although this study demonstrates you might get more benefits from heavy exercise, any level of activity has important health benefits, including reducing cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure levels, all of which benefit the heart," says Dr. Fisher.

Ease Into an Exercise Program

He also cautions against engaging in heavy or strenuous exercise without proper conditioning.

"The message you don't want to take away from this study is that you should jump from a sedentary lifestyle into heavy exercise," says Dr. Fisher. "This won't help your heart and it might even cause you harm."

Instead, Drs. Fisher and Borer say, get your physician's advice on the best exercises for your fitness level and gradually expand your workout regimen as your strength increases.

Always consult your physician for more information.

Starting a Daily Exercise Program

It is always important to consult your physician before starting an exercise program. This is particularly true if any of the following apply to your current medical condition:

If one or more of the statements listed above applies for you, see your physician before beginning an exercise program. An exercise-stress test may be used to help plan your exercise program.

If none of these apply, start gradually and sensibly. However, if you feel any of the physical symptoms listed above when you start your exercise program, contact your physician right away.

June 2003

Risk For Premature Cardiac Death Reduced With Exercise

Experts Say All Exercise a Benefit

Ease Into Exercise

Starting a Daily Exercise Program

Light Therapy May Boost Hormone Levels

Online Resources

In Other Men's Health News:

Study Suggests Light Therapy May Boost Hormone Levels

Researchers who have been exploring the effects of light therapy on mood are reporting that exposure to ultra-bright lamps appears to boost the body's ability to produce hormones.

The findings of the study, supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), appear in the medical journal Neuroscience Letters.

Researchers say it is possible that light therapy could one day be used to enhance the production of testosterone in men, potentially increasing sexual potency and muscle mass.

"It's a very promising lead," says study co-author Dr. Daniel Kripke, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California at San Diego. Light therapy is natural, and could be a safe and effective way to "accomplish some important health goals," he says.

Researchers have known for decades that exposure to light affects the way animals live. Changes in the light from the sun, for example, automatically set off hibernation in some mammals. Seasonal changes in light also control reproduction in rats and mice so they only mate during warmer months, Dr. Kripke says.

Researchers are still working to understand how exposure to light affects humans. Dr. Kripke and colleagues discovered two decades ago that light therapy - shining powerful lamps at people's eyes - affects mood.

Light therapy has become a common treatment for seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression that may appear when days grow shorter.

In his new study, Dr. Kripke enlisted 11 healthy male volunteers, aged 19 to 30, to test whether light affects the body levels of luteinizing hormone, which is produced by the pituitary gland and assists in the production of other hormones, such as testosterone.

Researchers, however, did not monitor testosterone levels in the men they studied.

In the study, the men woke at 5 a.m. for five days and spent an hour in front of a light box giving off 1,000 lux, or much more brightness than typical indoor lighting. Later, they spent five days in front of a light box that only gave out 10 lux.

Researchers found the body levels of luteinizing hormone grew by 69.5 percent in the men while they were exposed to the high levels of light.

The researchers hope to test light therapy on people with low sex drives and on postmenopausal women.

A hormone expert suggests that research is still needed to determine the relationship between enhanced testosterone and light therapy.

Dr. Ronald Swerdloff, chief of the division of endocrinology at Harbor UCLA Medical Center, says the newly released study was relatively small. He says it is not clear if the changes in the levels of the hormone are enough to cause significant changes in the body.

Always consult your physician for more information.

Online Resources

(Our Organization is not responsible for the content of Internet sites.)

American Heart Association

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Men's Health Network

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

National Mental Health Association