Physical Inactivity and Cardiovascular Disease

You may have heard that sitting is the new smoking, and that is not really an overstatement of the dangers of physical inactivity. In fact, a recent study comparing the American Heart Association’s “Simple 7” cardiovascular health risk factors found that a lack of physical activity raised the risk of cardiovascular disease by a startling 65 percent. The “Simple 7” guidelines were established in 2010, and include smoking, BMI, fasting glucose, diet, physical activity, cholesterol, and blood pressure as measurable factors to help determine cardiovascular risk. In the study, six of the seven factors were analyzed, with diet left out because of the difficulty of accurate assessment. Of all the factors studied, though, the information learned about exercise is perhaps the most surprising, with lack of exercise ranking as a higher risk factor than high cholesterol, and nearly as high as smoking.

Risks of Physical Inactivity

Why is there such a connection between cardiovascular disease and physical inactivity? To understand this, it helps to know what happens to a body that is sedentary.

• When a person is physically inactive, the blood flow slows. This allows fatty acids to build up in the blood vessels and raises the risk of heart disease.
• A body at rest has a decreased ability to process fats. When you are sitting, your body slows production of lipoprotein lipase, which is used to break down fat in the blood. Production slows by about 90 percent, severely inhibiting the body’s ability to use fat. This results in fat storage and an increase in heart disease risk.
• Too much sitting can cause insulin resistance. This can cause both type 2 diabetes and obesity, which are risk factors for heart disease.
• Muscles that are not used regularly lose strength. There is evidence to suggest that a decrease in muscle mass can raise a person’s risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Inactivity increases cortisol, which increases stress. When we exercise, it triggers the production of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), which helps fight the effects of cortisol, decreasing stress and heart disease risk.

How Much Exercise is Necessary to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk?

Here is the good news: you don’t have to run marathons or be an athlete to reduce your risk of heart disease. Simply exercising during your leisure time may be enough to significantly improve your heart health and decrease cardiovascular risk. Ideally, spend at least 30 minutes, five days a week, doing some form of moderate activity that gets your heart pumping. Walking, running, swimming, cycling, and playing tennis are all good examples of this kind of exercise.

Trust Twin Lakes with Your Heart Health

When you are looking for expert care in maintaining your heart health, the talented team of skilled professionals at Twin Lakes Heart Center is here for you. Since 1993, we have been providing cardiovascular and preventative care and maintenance for the community in Boca Raton, offering unparalleled care through a preventative, patient-centered approach. We are committed to building life-long relationships with our patients, helping them achieve a heart-healthy lifestyle. By adopting leading-edge technologies and taking a comprehensive heart health approach to heart disease, we are able to provide enhanced outcomes for a wide range of cardiovascular conditions. For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact us through our website.