A new study published in the Journal of Physiology suggests that four or five times per week of exercise can keep the heart and the arteries healthy. The study analyzed data from 100 people in their 60s and found that only some arteries remain healthy with two to three exercise sessions per week.
Reducing Heart and Arteries Disease
However, the great news is that any type of exercise can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, said researchers.
Looking at the exercise history of the participants in the study, researchers measured the stiffness of the arteries. As people age, they are more likely to get stiffer. The arteries then are more prone to get blocked with fatty material, if seniors lead an unhealthy lifestyle.
Dr. Benjamin Levine is the lead author of the study. He works at the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine in Dallas, Texas. He and his team found that a session of 30 minutes per day, 2-3 times per week in a lifetime can keep the middle-sized arteries (that carry blood to the head and neck) young and healthy.
But the results were more promising in people that exercised 4-5 times per week. Their large central arteries were as healthier as the middle-sized ones. The large arteries supply the blood to the chest and the abdomen.
Turning Back Time
The study did not take into account factors like diet, social background or education, which could also impact the analysis. However, there is no doubt that a daily dose of physical activity is healthy for both or bodies and our minds.
Dr. Benjamin Levine explained that previous research showed that if a person waits until the age of 70, it’s too late to “reverse a heart’s aging.” But then, he concluded that his study “is really exciting because it enables us to develop exercise programmes to keep the heart youthful and even turn back time on older hearts and blood vessels.”
Doris’s passion for writing started to take shape in college where she was editor-in-chief of the college newspaper. Even though she ended up working in IT for more than 7 years, she’s now back to what he always enjoyed doing. With a true passion for technology, Doris mostly covers tech-related topics.