What happens to people who insist on walking and exercising? Congratulations, 5 Benefits of 'Unsolicited'
In the 19th century, the famous French doctor Casanis once said: People and arteries live the same life . That is, when the blood vessels are young, the person is young, and the blood vessels are old, and the person is old.
A study published in The Lancet found that the Chumane people have the healthiest blood vessels on record. One of the secrets to keeping blood vessels "young" is to exercise 6 hours a day .
The Chumane people live a self-sufficient way of life. In order to support themselves, they basically go out for fruit picking and hunting every day. Therefore, they generally spend a long time in physical activity.
Does this mean that exercising is good for vascular health? But for the elderly, the physical strength has declined, and the easiest and healthy way to exercise is to walk. Can insisting on walking protect the health of blood vessels?
1. After the age of 65, the high incidence of cardiovascular disease
According to the "China Cardiovascular Health and Disease Report 2020" report, the number of cardiovascular patients in China has reached 330 million, and the mortality rate ranks first, accounting for 46.66% and 43.81% of the total deaths in rural and urban areas, respectively.
Recently, a review published in "JACC" sorted out the risk factors of coronary artery in young and middle-aged people, and concluded that there are 3 stages of changes in cardiovascular life:
Stage 1: 25 to 45 years old, low risk
At this stage, only a few people are at extreme risk, and about 5% to 15% of people have early diseases , such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and changes in heart structure.
Stage 2: Age 45 to 65 years with subclinical disease
This age group is generally at moderate risk, with 20% to 40% of people suffering from subclinical disease, which is influenced by lifestyle and begins to gradually appear cardiovascular health risk factors .
Stage 3: Cardiovascular events begin to appear after age 65
People in this age group generally face cardiovascular risk, 60%-80% have subclinical cardiovascular disease , and 15% have clinical events.
In the "China Cardiovascular Health and Disease Report", it is pointed out that the factors affecting cardiovascular disease mainly include:
Smoking : The overall smoking rate in China is 26.6%. The tar and nicotine in the smoke will stimulate the blood vessels, causing spasmodic changes to cause damage to the blood vessels.
Unreasonable dietary structure : Chinese residents' intake of grains, coarse foods, aquatic products, soybeans, and milk is far below the recommended amount, while the average intake of oil and salt is higher than the recommended amount.
Sedentary : 30% of Chinese people exercise less than once a month. People who don't like to exercise, cholesterol and fat are easy to deposit on the blood vessel wall, forming arterial plaque over time.
Depression : Research shows that the prevalence of depression in Chinese hospitalized patients with coronary heart disease is 51%. Depression affects systemic hormonal regulation, which in turn affects cardiac function and worsens the disease.
2. Can the elderly insist on walking to protect blood vessels?
Exercise is a major way to prevent cardiovascular disease. How does it work for the elderly? A study published in "PLOS Medicine" from the University of Oxford in the UK found that with more exercise, you can gain more health.
The research data comes from the British Biobank. 90,211 participants without cardiovascular disease recorded their physical activity levels and found that with increasing activity levels, the risk of cardiovascular disease continued to decrease .
Similarly, the JAMA study found that participants who walked 8,000 steps a day had significantly lower cardiovascular and cancer mortality rates compared to those who walked 4,000 steps a day . Although this is an observational study, there are physical benefits to being active every day.
In addition, seniors who insist on walking can reap these benefits:
1. Improve chronic diseases
Published in the top medical journal "Annals of Internal Medicine" from Yale University in the United States, 1,635 elderly people aged 70-89 were evaluated. The results found that elderly people who move around often reduce chronic diseases by about 25% .
2. Control blood sugar levels
A 2016 study of people with type 2 diabetes found that those who walked after meals had 12 percent lower overall postprandial blood sugar than those who walked at other times.
3. Reduce the risk of heart disease
Regular exercise can lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol, while reducing the risk of stroke or heart attack.
4. Control high blood pressure
A study published by the Third Hospital of Peking University in the Journal of Clinical Hypertension found that after 3 months of brisk walking, most people's blood pressure dropped by about 2-3 mmHg.
3. To prevent cardiovascular disease, you might as well stick to these 3 things
Cardiovascular disease is the disease with the highest fatality rate among all diseases. Irregular work and rest, unstable mood, and bad eating habits also have a great impact on cardiovascular disease. Therefore, for middle-aged and elderly people after the age of 50, In addition to exercising, it is also important to do these 3 things well:
1. Maintain a regular, healthy diet
To prevent cardiovascular disease, attention should be paid to calorie intake and saturated fatty acid intake. Saturated fatty acids can promote atherosclerosis, and the diet should be light. In order to prevent the occurrence of diseases, it is recommended to eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, etc., and reduce the intake of refined carbohydrates.
To prevent cardiovascular disease, the best diets are the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet, that is, low-fat, high-fiber diets .
2. Go to bed regularly
Regular sleep is not enough to sleep for 7 or 8 hours, it is called a regular rule. The rule of life should be regular and fixed. Staying up late can easily disrupt the biological clock and affect the health of the whole body. Regular work and rest, should go to bed at 11 o'clock every night .
3. Relax
Published in JAMA, Dr. Viola Vaccarino from Emory University and his team found that mental stress was significantly associated with a 150% increased risk of cardiovascular disease-related death, or non-fatal myocardial infarction.
It can be seen that maintaining a good mood is also the key to preventing cardiovascular disease. Laughing more, relaxing and reducing stress can make blood circulation smoother and keep blood pressure stable.
Cardiovascular disease is closely related to lifestyle, physical and mental health, etc. If you want to prevent disease, you might as well start by taking action and walking.
References:
[1] How do people get cardiovascular disease? 35 Years of Research Reveals the Whole Process of "Crash"". Life Times. 2021-08-05
[2] "Oxford scholars add evidence! Exercise can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease: the more you exercise, the more you reduce...". China Biotechnology Network. 2021-01-13
[3] "American Society of Preventive Cardiology: 100 precautions for 10 major cardiovascular disease risk factors! ". Health Times. 2022-04-15
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