Improved Physical Activity in Old Age Can Improve Heart Health, Study Says

Sedentary lifestyle, whatever the age is, heftily affects one’s well being, especially affecting their overall heart health. But, a recent study has claimed that people in their early 60s can ensure better heart health if they keep themselves engaged in physical activities are at lesser risks of developing heart disease.

The results from the Physical activity were found to be a lot contributing and beneficial for women in that age group. Inactivity and impending sedentary lifestyle is considered as two of the most common reasons behind death because of deteriorating heart health. The protective nature of the change is because of the impacts of the biomarkers in the blood that aids in predicting the risks of atherosclerosis.

The author of the conducted study and the senior research associate in epidemiology at the renowned Bristol Medical School under the Bristol University, Dr Ahmed Elhakeem exclaimed that the time frame between 60 to 64 is the transitioning time from hectic work schedule to retirement – a phase that is heavily dependent on one’s lifestyle and the changes they adapt themselves to. This is where one needs to introduce some effective physical activities in their schedule instead of just “retiring” and leading a lazy life.

The study also found traces of possible connection between lack of activity and the development of heart risks in the older adults in this age group. Dr Elhakeem further explained saying that their study emphasized on the importance of replacing the sedentary lifestyle with some kind of physical activity as something a must and not an option.

In the study, the subjects (from the age of 60-64) were made to wear heart and motion sensors for five days straight. These machines didn’t just record the amount of physical activity these subjects were subjecting themselves to but also the kind of intensity that they are empowering their workouts with. The sensors detected every activity, from light activities like that of slow walking, stretching and golfing to tedious workouts like dancing, bicycling or even playing squash.

Following the five day mark of the data recording, the researchers used the subject’s blood vessels as markers for heart diseases. Some of the common markers used included C-reactive protein, interleukin 6, tissue-plasminogen activator (t-PA) and a few other adhesion molecules which were the ones indicative of the possibility of the risks associated with the heart disease.

In order to align and simplify the findings, the researchers highlighted a few of the pointers that they concluded at the end of their study. Some of these findings and conclusions include:

• An additional 10 minutes of activity, ranging from the realms of moderate to tedious contributed to lowered levels of leptin, 3.7 percent in men and 6.6 percent in women.
• Just a mere 10 minutes of leading a sedentary lifestyle contributed to spiked levels of nterleukin-6 levels in the blood, 0.6 percent higher in men and 1.4 percent in women.
• An overall 10 minutes of light activity throughout the day contributed to lowered levels of t-PA in both men and women alike.
• The subjects with a health cardio-respiratory fitness has an overall healthier biomarker profile which was definitely a positive conclusion up until their related differences in body fat.
• The adhesion molecule which was used in the study, E-selectin, was the only biomarker out of all the others which didn’t show any form of physical difference upon the effects of physical activity or sedentary lifestyle. It was supposedly only connected with the fitness levels in an individual.

The researchers who conducted the studies concluded saying that they found that the associated improvement of one’s heart health is basically dependent on the liability of physical activity and how predominant their sedentary lifestyle is in comparison to their daily physical activities.

The aversion and prevention of heart risks associated with physical activity was primarily based on the improvement in the function of the blood vessels. The study also suggests that the correlation between sedentary lifestyle could be well connected to one’s endothelial function. Dr Elhakeem further explained that they are still in the process of devising whether it was the activities that affected the biomarkers or was it the other way around.

The study (R) was published on the American Heart Association and according to their suggestion, it is necessary to indulge in 150 minutes of moderate workout or 5 minutes of vigorous workout in a week to ensure proper heart health and to avert risks of developing cardiovascular diseases like that of atherosclerosis and such.