DIY and gardening can cut heart attack/stroke risk by 30 percent and prolong life in 60+ age group

These activities as good as exercise because they decrease total sedentary time

2013-10-29

(Press-News.org) Contact information: Stephanie Burns
sburns@bmj.com
44-020-738-36920
BMJ-British Medical Journal
DIY and gardening can cut heart attack/stroke risk by 30 percent and prolong life in 60+ age group These activities as good as exercise because they decrease total sedentary time A spot of DIY or gardening can cut the risk of a heart attack/stroke and prolong life by as much as 30 per cent among the 60+ age group, indicates research published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

These routine activities are as good as exercise, which is ideal for older people who don't often do that much formal exercise, say the researchers.

They base their findings on almost 4000 sixty year olds in Stockholm, Sweden, whose cardiovascular health was tracked for around 12.5 years.

At the start of the study, participants took part in a health check, which included information on lifestyle, such as diet, smoking, and alcohol intake, and how physically active they were.

They were asked how often they had included a range of daily life activities, such as gardening, DIY, car maintenance and blackberry picking over the previous 12 months, as well as whether they had taken any formal exercise. Their cardiovascular health was assessed by means of lab tests and physical examinations, to check on blood fats, blood sugars, and blood clotting factor, high levels of which are linked to a raised heart attack and stroke risk.

At the start of the study, those who had a generally active daily life had a much lower risk profile for cardiovascular problems, irrespective of how much formal exercise they took, than those with low levels of daily activity.

This profile included smaller waists, lower levels of potentially harmful blood fats, and lower gluose, insulin, and clotting factor levels in men.

The same was true of those who did a lot of formal exercise, but who weren't routinely physically active very often. Those who exercised regularly and were also often physically active had the lowest risk profile of all.

During the 12.5 year monitoring period, 476 of the participants had their first heart attack and 383 died from various causes.

The highest level of daily physical activity was associated with a 27% lower risk of a heart attack or stroke and a 30% reduced risk of death from all causes, compared with the lowest level, irrespective of how much regular formal exercise was taken in addition.

"Our findings are particularly important for older adults, because individuals in this age group tend, compared to other age groups, to spend a relatively greater proportion of their active day performing [routine activities] as they often find it difficult to achieve recommended exercise intensity levels," say the authors.

They suggest that the biological explanations for their findings might lie in energy expenditure: prolonged sitting drives down metabolic rate to the bare minimum, while standing up and physical activity increase it.

Muscular contractions may also provide some clues. Sitting down doesn't require any muscle effort, which can disrupt the skeletal muscle's normal hormone production, with potential adverse effects on other body organs and tissues.

### [The importance of non-exercise physical activity for cardiovascular health and longevity Online First doi 10.1136/bjsports-2012-092038]

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Older heart patients need personalized preventive care

2013-10-29

Older heart patients need personalized preventive care Strategies to prevent heart attack, stroke and other major cardiac events should be individualized for older adults who should play a role in choosing their therapies, according to an American Heart Association ...

South Asians in Peel have lower cancer screening rates; increased risk of preventable disease

2013-10-29

South Asians in Peel have lower cancer screening rates; increased risk of preventable disease TORONTO, Oct. 28, 2013— South Asian-Canadians living in Peel Region may be 15 per cent less likely than other Ontarians to be screened for breast, cervical or colorectal ...

Nurturing may protect kids from brain changes linked to poverty

2013-10-29

Nurturing may protect kids from brain changes linked to poverty Growing up in poverty can have long-lasting, negative consequences for a child. But for poor children raised by parents who lack nurturing skills, the effects may be particularly worrisome, ...

Study examines expedited FDA drug approvals, safety questions remain

2013-10-29

Study examines expedited FDA drug approvals, safety questions remain Fewer patients were studied as part of expedited reviews of new drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2008 and some safety questions remain unanswered, according to a ...

Heart disease risk appears associated with breast cancer radiation

2013-10-29

Heart disease risk appears associated with breast cancer radiation Among patients with early stages of breast cancer, those whose hearts were more directly irradiated with radiation treatments on the left side in a facing-up position had higher risk of ...

Poverty in early childhood appears associated with brain development

2013-10-29

Poverty in early childhood appears associated with brain development Poverty in early childhood appears to be associated with smaller brain volumes measured through imaging at school age and early adolescence, according to a study published by JAMA Pediatrics, a JAMA ...

1, 2, buckle my shoe

2013-10-29

1, 2, buckle my shoe International study documents importance of language to learning math Talk to your toddler. And use numbers when you talk. Doing so may give a child a better head start in math than teaching her to memorize 1-2-3 counting routines. That's ...

Study finds high rate of lower back injuries in young athletes

2013-10-29

Study finds high rate of lower back injuries in young athletes Injuries may put athletes at risk for long-term back problems MAYWOOD, Il. – Lower back injuries are the third most common injuries suffered in athletes under age 18, according to a study presented ...

Local communities produce high-quality forest monitoring data, rivals that of professional foresters

2013-10-29

Local communities produce high-quality forest monitoring data, rivals that of professional foresters Study finds half of UN projects do not engage local communities in monitoring, argues REDD+ projects that integrate community participation are more ...

Smokers worldwide more likely to think about kicking their habit on Mondays

2013-10-29

Smokers worldwide more likely to think about kicking their habit on Mondays Findings published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Internal Medicine SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Oct. 28, 2013)—Forget New Year's; a study published today in the Journal ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Tiny metal figurines from Sardinia's Nuragic civilization in around 1,000 BC reveal extensive ancient Mediterranean metal trading networks

Natural microfibers may degrade differently to synthetic materials under simulated sunlight exposure in freshwater and seawater conditions, with implications for how such pollutants affect aquatic lif

Indian new mums report better postpartum wellbeing when their own mum acts as their primary support - while women whose mother-in-law is the primary caregiver instead report significantly lower overal