Cardiac benefit of exercise proves better late than never

By Piriya Mahendra, MedWire Reporter

Even individuals who start exercising for 2.5 hours per week in their late 40s and 50s have better cardiovascular health than those who do not adhere to an exercise regimen, say researchers.

"Regular physical activity is associated with lower markers of inflammation over 10 years of follow-up and thus may be important in preventing the proinflammatory state seen with ageing," remark Mark Hamer (University College London, UK) and colleagues.

They found that participants aged a mean of 49.2 years who undertook 2.5 hours per week of moderate to vigorous physical activity, such as walking, cycling, sports, gardening, housework, and home maintenance, had significantly lower levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin (IL)-6 than those who rarely adhered to such exercise, at 2.05 mg/L and 2.45 pg/mL versus 2.29 mg/L and 2.70 pg/mL, respectively.

And, interestingly, those who did not exercise at baseline but then increased their exercise level over the 10-year follow-up period to 2.5 hours per week had significantly lower levels of CRP and IL-6 than those who maintained a stable level of exercise.

The findings were unchanged when the researchers adjusted for confounding factors such as obesity and smoking.

The authors also note that basal systemic inflammation was associated with a significant reduction in physical activity over the follow-up period, after adjusting for body mass index and chronic illness.

"Given that inflammatory processes are thought to be involved in sarcopenia and functional decline, this explains why systemic inflammation may result in decreased activity in ageing populations," say Hamer et al.

They warn that their findings must be interpreted with caution as they were unable to account for the presence of sarcopenia. "Nevertheless, the analyses were adjusted for chronic illness that incorporates factors such as functional limitations and history of CVD [cardiovascular disease]," acknowledge Hamer and team.

The study was published in Circulation.

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