 | | | | Related Healthscout Videos | |
|
Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 Men in the highest quartile (25 percent) of CRF had a 40 percent lower relative risk of stroke compared with men in the lowest quartile. That difference stayed constant even after adjusting for other factors such as smoking, alcohol intake, family history of cardiovascular disease, body-mass index (an estimation of body fatness), high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol levels, Hooker said.
Among women, those with a higher cardiorespiratory fitness level had a 43 percent lower relative risk than those in the lowest fitness level.
The overall stroke risk dropped substantially at the moderate CRF level, with the protective effect persisting almost unchanged through higher fitness levels.
Text Continues Below
"We found that a low-to-moderate amount of aerobic fitness for men and women across the whole adult age spectrum would be enough to substantially reduce stroke risk," Hooker said.
Physical activity is a major modifiable cardiovascular disease risk factor. Increasing the nation's CRF through regular physical activity could be a vital weapon to lower the incidence of stroke in men and women, he said.
One of the study's limitations is that most of the participants were white, well-educated and middle-upper income, Hooker said. He recommended that data be collected from other populations.
More information
To learn more about improving your cardiovascular fitness level, visit the American Heart Association.
Page: << Prev | 1 | 2
-- Kevin McKeever
|
.gif)
