Regular exercise, including standing reduces cardiovascular disease

Washington D.C.: According to a recent clinical perspective, the majority of citizens in developed countries should not be concerned by potential harm from exercise, but rather by the lack of exercise in their lives.

According to the council of the American College of Cardiology, small amounts of physical activity including standing are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, but more exercise leads to even greater reduction in risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

JACC Editor-in-Chief Valentin Fuster said that the evidence with regard to exercise continues to unfold and educate the cardiovascular clinical community.

The greatest benefit is to simply exercise regardless of the intensity while the danger is two-fold: to not exercise at all or to exercise intensely, without due preparation.

Studies have shown that regular physical activity reduces a person's risk of death from cardiovascular disease; however, only half of U.S. adults meet the federally recommended guidelines of 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity exercise or 75 minutes per week of vigorous intensity exercise.

In this report, the American College of Cardiology Sports and Exercise Cardiology Council examined recent research on the volume and intensity of aerobic exercise required for favorable cardiovascular health. With the rise in participation in endurance races over the past three decades, they also address the question of whether or not there is an amount of exercise that increases cardiovascular disease risk.

The council found that moderate and vigorous intensity exercise in amounts lower than the 2008 Physical Activity Guideline recommendations still significantly lower mortality risk in different populations around the globe.

There is no evidence for an upper limit to exercise-induced health benefits and all amounts of both moderate and vigorous intensity exercise result in a reduction of both all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality compared to physical inactivity.

Researcher Michael Scott Emery said that the public media has embraced the idea that exercise may harm the heart and disseminated this message, thereby diverting attention away from the benefits of exercise as a potent intervention for the primary and secondary prevention of heart disease.

Emery said added that the available evidence should prompt clinicians to recommend strongly low and moderate exercise training for the majority of our patients. Equally important are initiatives to promote population health at large through physical activity across the life span, as it modulates behavior from childhood into adult life.

The research is published in the journal of the American College of Cardiology.