THE WELLNESS & FITNESS CENTER'S BLOG

How Exercise Reduces the Risk of Heart Disease

February 2, 2016, 12:59 pm - Categories: Education

We have all heard that exercise improves heart health, but how specifically does exercise reduce the risk of heart disease? Not only does exercise make the heart muscle stronger and healthier, exercise has the capacity to prevent, control, or even eliminate conditions that can cause artery and heart damage. The main controllable risk factors for heart disease are high cholesterol, hypertension, inflammation, and diabetes. To celebrate Heart Month, we’ll explore the effect of exercise on cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Effects of Exercise on Cholesterol
Exercise does influence a variety of changes in blood lipids. Triglyceride levels decrease with exercise and the reduction of triglyceride levels is in direct proportion to energy expenditure. Triglyceride levels show a decrease immediately after a session of aerobic training.

HDL cholesterol is known as the ‘good’ cholesterol and protects the arteries from disease. HDL levels readily increase with exercise training. An increase in HDL generally produces a favorable change in the LDL/HDL ratio. By improving the ratio and generating more HDL, exercise helps to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Depending on genetics, it can be harder to reduce LDL cholesterol. LDL is known as the ‘bad’ cholesterol and leads to hardening of the arteries. The best way to lower LDL levels is a combined approach of aerobic exercise, weight loss, and diet modifications.

Effects of Exercise on High Blood Pressure
Exercise training is very effective in controlling high blood pressure. Regular exercise significantly reduces blood pressure at rest and during exercise. People with high blood pressure typically experience a decrease of 7.4 mm Hg and 5.8 mm Hg for systolic and diastolic, respectively. To reduce blood pressure, the most effective mode of physical activity is moderate intensity aerobic training, 3 to 7 days/week, and a duration of 30 to 60 minutes.

By: Kelly Pults, MS, WSI, CPT, Aquatics Manager/Group X Coordinator at Valley Health Wellness & Fitness Center

References
Whaley MH, Brubaker PH, Otto, RM (Eds.). ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. 7th ed. Philadelphia (PA): Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2006. P. 211-2.

Rice T, et al. Familial aggregation of blood lipid response to exercise training in the health risk factors, exercise training, and genetics (HERITAGE) family study. Circulation. 2002; 105:1904-1908.

Durstine JL, Grandjean P, Cox C, Thompson P. Lipids, lipoproteins, and exercise. Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation. 2002; 22(6):385-398

Stefanick M, et al. Effects of diet and exercise in men and postmenopausal women with low levels of HDL cholesterol and high levels of LDL cholesterol. New England
Fagard R. Exercise characteristics and the blood pressure response to dynamic physical training. Medicine Sci Sports Exerc. 2001; 33:S484-S492.