What’s Your Heart Attack Risk?
Researchers at the University of Florida investigated the risk of heart attack and stroke among normal weight people who spent about 150 minutes a week working out as well as among sedentary adults of normal weight. The bottom line: if your weight is normal, and you don’t get any exercise, your risk of a heart attack or stroke is not significantly different from that of your overweight pals. The Florida researchers reported that this finding applies to 30 percent of American adults whose weight is normal. They found that these people had higher levels of belly fat, became short of breath when they exerted themselves, had an unhealthy waist circumference or performed less than the recommended amount of physical activity. The study team gathered and analyzed data on adults age 40 to 79 who had no diagnosis of coronary heart disease or history of heart attack or stroke. They measured the fat in each participants’ abdomen and their waist circumference, and asked about the extent of their physical activity, how much time they spent sitting and whether they became short of breath when running or walking up a slight hill. After accounting for each person’s age, sex, race/ethnicity, smoking status, diabetes status, cholesterol and blood pressure, they calculated each individual’s risk of having a heart attack or stroke within the next 10 years.
Source:
Arch G. Mainous Ph.D., et al, Effect of Sedentary Lifestyle on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among Healthy Adults with Body Mass Indexes 18.5 to 29.9 kg/m2. The American Journal of Cardiology, December 4, 2018, DOI: doi/10.1016/j.amjcard.2018.11.043
Also in this week’s bulletin:
- Mindfulness May Ease Menopausal Symptoms
- Another Reason To Avoid Sugary Drinks
- This week’s recipe: Hot & Sour Salmon With Greens
