Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death in the world and also in our country.
As a result, specialists maintain that, beyond advances in treatments, it is essential to work on
prevention
.
And it is known that
aerobic exercise
is one of the fundamental pillars in this sense.
A solid body of evidence shows that this type of physical activity, also called “cardio” (for increasing heart rate, precisely) can reduce risks, especially for people who are overweight or obese.
In recent years, research has also increased supporting the benefits of strength training (resistance or weight training) to preserve bone and joint health, increase muscle mass, and decrease body fat.
The World Health Organization (WHO) physical activity guidelines recommend a combination of both: performing at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise and
two weekly sessions
of resistance training.
"But these guidelines don't specify
how long
those strength training sessions should last to reap health benefits," said Duck-chul Lee, professor of kinesiology at Iowa State University and lead author of a new study, published in
European. Heart Journal
(European Heart Journal).
Benefits of aerobic physical activity
Until some time ago, aerobic exercise was prioritized when recommending to anyone an alternative to abandoning a sedentary lifestyle, especially to
protect cardiovascular health
and help maintain an adequate weight.
The Mayo Clinic, in a recent publication, details the benefits of doing this type of activity.
In this direction, he explains that the body, by repeatedly moving the large muscles of the arms, legs and hips, responds quickly: breathing
accelerates
, which maximizes the amount of oxygen in the blood, and the heart beats faster , so blood flow to the muscles and back to the lungs increases.
“Your small blood vessels (capillaries)
will widen
to bring more oxygen to your muscles and remove waste, such as carbon dioxide and lactic acid.
Your body will even release endorphins, natural pain relievers that promote a greater feeling of well-being,” they summarize.
Benefits of resistance activity
More recently, strength training was also included in the recommendations, with the aim of achieving a
complete routine
that helps strengthen muscles.
"Lean muscle mass
naturally decreases with age,
if you do nothing to replace the lean muscle you lose over time, your body fat percentage will increase. Muscle strengthening can help you maintain and improve your muscle mass at any age "say the authors of the Mayo Clinic article.
Strength exercise can be done with machines, free weights, elastic bands or your own body weight Photo Shutterstock.
Regarding bones, they indicate that muscle strengthening favors an
increase in bone density
and reduces the risk of osteoporosis, in addition to protecting joints from injuries.
“Muscle formation can also contribute to better balance, reduce the risk of falls and helps with weight control," they point out.
The study
Taking into account what both types of exercises are for, the authors of the work published in the European Heart Journal conducted one of the
largest and longest
supervised exercise tests : they had 406 participants between 35 and 70 years old, who enrolled in the trial of one-year randomized controlled exercise.
All met the threshold for overweight or obesity with body mass indexes between
25 and 40
kg/m2 and had high blood pressure.
The researchers randomly divided the participants into one of four groups:
No exercise
Aerobic only
Resistance only
Aerobic plus resistance.
Those in one of the three exercise groups worked under supervision for one hour, three times a week for a year.
Each participant in one of the exercise groups received a personalized
exercise routine
based on their individual fitness levels, health conditions and progression.
The researchers also collected data on physical activity and diet outside the laboratory.
All participants, including those in the non-exercise group, used pedometers to
measure daily steps
and met every three months with nutritionists who advised them on the implementation of the DASH diet, promoted by the National Institutes of Health for the prevention and control of the hypertension.
Additionally, on three randomly chosen days a month, they were asked to record what they had consumed in the previous 24 hours.
At the beginning of the clinical trial, six months later, and at the end, researchers measured each participant's blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, fasting glucose, and body fat percentage, all well-established
risk factors
for cardiovascular disease.
Conclusions
At the end of the one-year trial, the percentage of body fat in all three exercise groups had
decreased significantly
compared to the non-exercise control group.
The authors indicate that "each 1% reduction in body fat is associated with 3%, 4% and 8%
less chance
of developing risk factors for cardiovascular disease, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and metabolic syndrome."
The recommended amount of physical activity between aerobic and resistance exercise reduces cardiovascular disease risks as much as aerobic-only regimens.
Photo Shutterstock.
The results also indicate that
dividing the recommended amount
of physical activity between aerobic and resistance exercise reduces the risks of cardiovascular disease as much as aerobic-only regimens.
Meanwhile, resistance exercise alone for the same amount of time
did not provide
the same benefits for heart health compared to the control group.
"If you're bored with aerobic exercise and want variety, or have joint pain that makes it difficult to run long distances, our study shows that you can replace half
of your aerobic training
with strength training to get the same cardiovascular benefits. Cross-training It also offers other unique health benefits, such as improving muscle," said Duck-chul Lee, lead author and professor of kinesiology at Iowa State University.
Performing a certain number of series and repetitions
with weight machines
, free weights, elastic bands or your own body weight through push-ups or lunges are part of resistance exercise.
"One of the most common reasons people don't exercise is because they have limited time. The exercise combined with cardiovascular and strength training that we suggest
does not require more time
," Lee concluded.
***
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