Exercise Can Benefit Heart Even Without Weight Loss

The Journal of the American College of Cardiology recently published results from a study suggesting that regular exercise protects your heart health even if you don’t lose weight. The study says the reverse is also true… losing weight can help your heart health even if you’re not as physically active as you should be. Dr. I-Min Lee, an epidemiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School says… “Exercise makes the heart less prone to arrhythmias, and it affects the sympathetic nervous system, which brings down your heart rate and allows your heart to work more efficiently. Exercise also lowers blood pressure and improves your lipid profile and glucose processing, even if you don’t lose weight.”  Some people try to lose weight by dieting alone, and for those who are successful, the weight loss can be beneficial.  The significance of this study is that weight loss without regular exercise, and regular exercise without weight loss can both help your heart.  When regular exercise is combined with weight loss, health benefits are even greater.  Notes Dr. Lee…”Study subjects with the lowest cardiovascular risk factors were those who both improved fitness and lost weight.  And, those who both lost fitness and gained weight had the highest cardiovascular risk”…..  Harvard Health Letter  July, 2012