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How Many Fewer Calories a Day Help Your Heart Health

2021-08-02T15:03:25.543Z


A study published in the journal Circulation showed benefits when combining moderate restriction and exercise.


08/02/2021 11:40

  • Clarín.com

  • Good Life

Updated 08/02/2021 11:49

Obesity is a risk factor for developing cardiovascular problems and is, at the same time, a condition that can make them worse.

Multiple studies show the importance of making lifestyle changes to reduce these risks, and in this framework a new study is included that found that exercise added to a

moderate change in

daily

caloric intake

is associated with improvements.

The research, published in the

American Heart Association (AHA)

journal

Circulation

, showed that these small changes combined can make a difference in improving vascular health in obese older adults.

Researchers from the Wake Forest School of Medicine (in the United States) concluded that the elimination of around

250 calories per day in conjunction

with 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise (walking, running or other activities that increase the heart rate ) was associated with a

significant improvement

in aortic stiffness, a measure of vascular health.

Against arterial stiffness

The aorta is the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body.

Stiffness is a

long-term

prognostic predictor

of heart attack, cerebrovascular accidents (CVA), cognitive disorders, kidney failure.

Over the years, the arteries

lose their elasticity

(the heart must work harder to contract and pump blood throughout the body), so it is not surprising to find stiffness in the vessels of the elderly (although it is a problem that is is seeing each time at younger ages).

Modifiable lifestyle factors, such as a healthy diet and regular physical activity, can help

offset age-related increases in aortic stiffness

.

Although aerobic exercise generally has favorable effects on the structure and function of the aorta, previous studies have shown that

exercise alone may not be sufficient

to improve stiffness in obese older adults.

Small lifestyle changes are associated with benefits.

Photo Shutterstock.

Better, moderation

"We were surprised to find that

moderate caloric reduction

and aerobic activity had a better effect on the arteries than exercise with a more restrictive diet," said study lead author Tina Brinkley, associate professor of gerontology and geriatric medicine at the School of Wake Forest Medicine.

"These

relatively small changes

should be manageable for people and more sustainable in the long term," he enthused.

Brinkley led the randomized controlled trial that included 160 sedentary adults,

aged 65 to 79 years with obesity

defined as a body mass index of 30 to 45 kg / m2.

BMI is an indicator of the relationship between weight and height (height) that is frequently used to identify overweight and obesity in adults.

It is calculated by dividing a person's weight in kilos by the square of their height in meters (kg / m2).

If the result of that calculation is

above 30, it is considered obesity

(you can calculate your BMI here).

Being overweight is a risk factor for cardiovascular health.

Photo Shutterstock.

Exercise and fewer calories

"This is the first study to evaluate the effects

of calorie-reduced and non-caloric

aerobic exercise training

on aortic stiffness, which was measured using cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) to obtain detailed images of the aorta," Brinkley said.

The objective?

"We sought to determine whether adding caloric restriction for weight loss would lead to greater improvements in vascular health compared to aerobic exercise alone in obese older adults," he explained.

Study participants were randomly assigned to one of three intervention groups for 20 weeks:

exercise alone

, exercise plus moderate calorie restriction (approximately

250 calories

), or exercise plus more intensive caloric restriction (reduction of around

600 calories

).

All study participants received supervised aerobic exercise training four days a week at the Geriatric Research Center at Wake Forest School of Medicine.

And the groups that performed calorie restrictions were supervised by dietitians.

They advise doing at least 30 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous activity.

Photo Shutterstock.

Why is maintaining a healthy weight important for heart health?

Because a higher body mass index, total body fat and abdominal fat mainly, are associated with higher aortic stiffness, which is a risk factor for cardiovascular events (heart attacks, strokes, and even death).

The research team found that loss of

about 10% of total body weight

or about 9 kilos over the five-month study period was associated with significant improvements in aortic stiffness only in participants assigned to the exercise plus restriction group. moderate caloric.

None of the measures of aortic stiffness changed significantly in the group that only incorporated exercise or in the group that combined activity with more intensive caloric restriction.

Additionally, changes in body mass index, total fat mass, body fat percentage, abdominal fat, and waist circumference were greater in the calorie-restricted groups compared to the exercise-only group.

The

weight loss was similar

among groups with caloric restriction, although the more intensive group reduced almost twice the intake (26.7% reduction in calories compared to a reduction of 14.2%).

However, the group with the most restrictive diet did not show any improvement in aortic stiffness even though they had similar decreases in weight and blood pressure as the group with moderate restrictions, surprising the researchers.

These results suggest that combining exercise with

modest calorie restriction,

rather than more intensive calorie restriction or just exercising, is likely to maximize vascular health benefits, while optimizing weight loss and improvements in muscle mass. body composition and body fat distribution, they noted.

"The finding that higher intensity calorie restriction

may not be necessary or advised

 has important implications for weight loss recommendations to improve cardiovascular disease risk in obese older adults," concluded the study's lead author.

Look also

Higher levels of omega-3 are associated with more years of life: what foods provide it

Arrhythmia: Does coffee "speed up" the heart?

Source: clarin

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