Florida Atlantic University
In an editorial published in the current issue of Cardiology, professors from the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University have evaluated the totality of evidence and conclude that regular physical activity bears the closest resemblance to a "magic bullet" to combat the worldwide epidemic of obesity and cardiovascular disease.
The statistics on regular physical activity in the United States
are bleak; only about 20 percent of Americans (23 percent of men and 18 percent
of women) engage in recommended levels of regular physical activity and about
64 percent never do any physical activity.
In Europe, the statistics are not
much better with only 33 percent who engage in physical activity with some
regularity, while 42 percent never do any physical activity.
Weight gain as well as being overweight or obese in middle age
increase the risk for cardiovascular disease including heart attacks and stroke
as well as type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis and some common and fatal cancers
such as colon cancer.
The authors also point out that physical activity confers
important beneficial effects beyond body weight and include blood pressure,
cholesterol, triglyceride, diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, colon cancer and
possibly even breast and prostate cancers as well as arthritis, mood, energy,
sleep and sex life.
So with all of these great benefits why don't people exercise
more regularly? The authors suggest that perhaps the time and effort needed for
regular physical activity, coupled with the limited accurate knowledge about
its immediate and long-term benefits, may contribute to largely sedentary
lifestyles.
This hypothesis is supported by the survey data from Europe where
42 percent give this as the main reason for their sedentary lifestyle.
"There are a lot of misperceptions about the role of
regular physical activity, caloric intake and calories burned during
exercise," said Steven Lewis, Ph.D., co-author and a professor at FAU's
College of Medicine. "And, as a result, calorie restriction dieting has
been recommended as more practical for weight control than regular physical
activity, and this is a big problem."
Starting in their 30s, Americans and many Europeans tend to gain
between 1 and 3 pounds of body weight per year, and by 55, many are between 30
and 50 pounds overweight.
This typical weight gain also is marked by an
increase in adipose tissue mass and loss of lean body mass that accompanies an
inactive lifestyle.
"Most people have great difficulty achieving and
maintaining weight loss solely by restricting their calorie intake," said
Hennekens. "Therefore, modern inactive lifestyles seem to be at least as
important as diet in the etiology of obesity."
The authors note that brisk walking for only 20 minutes a day
burns about 700 calories a week, results in a 30 to 40 percent reduced risk of
coronary heart disease, and can be performed even by the elderly.
They stress
that regular physical activity also should include resistance exercise such as
lifting weights, which can even be safely performed in the elderly and in
patients with heart failure.
The maintenance or increase in lean body mass
derived from lifting weights promotes an increase in the calories people burn
at rest which adds a significant additional contribution to control of body
weight.
"The general health benefits of resistance training for
middle-aged and older adults are many, including the prevention or limitation
of age-related sarcopenia, improved maintenance of muscle mass strength, and a
decreased risk of osteoporosis-related bone fractures, falls, physical
disability, and mortality," said Lewis.
Lack of physical activity accounts for 22 percent of coronary
heart disease, 22 percent of colon cancer, 18 percent of osteoporotic
fractures, 12 percent of diabetes and hypertension, and five percent of breast
cancer. Furthermore, physical inactivity accounts for approximately 2.4 percent
of U.S. healthcare expenditures or approximately $24 billion a year.
"Clinicians and their patients should remain cognizant of
the crucial role of regular physical activity in improving the quality and
quantity of life," said Hennekens. "There also is a need for
increased awareness of the importance of resistance training as a valuable
adjunct to regular aerobic activity such as brisk walking. And, finally, there
is a dire need to educate patients about the importance of regular physical
activity for weight control."
Finally, the authors caution that cardiovascular disease is now
the leading killer worldwide and a chief contributor in developing countries,
increasing obesity and decreasing levels of physical activity.
Hennekens and Lewis both practice what they preach. Lewis is an
exercise physiologist and Hennekens remains an avid tennis player having been
the only graduate of Queens College ever inducted into the academic and
athletic halls of fame.
He also is formerly the No. 4 ranked squash player in
the U.S. in the 40 and over division, and was appointed by FAU President John
Kelly to serve on the University's Intercollegiate Athletics Committee.
