Here's how middle-aged people, especially women, can avoid a heart attack

Fitness is good for the heart, the brain and overall health. New studies however show that a specific type called cardiorespiratory fitness can help predict the risk of heart attack, especially in women.

Better cardiorespiratory fitness has resulted in a lower risk of heart attack, with women appearing to benefit the most. The findings suggest that "cardiorespiratory fitness can be used as a risk calculator for early heart attacks," said Rajesh Shigdel, lead author of the Norwegian study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

"Measuring the cardiorespiratory fitness will tell you which risk group you are in," said Shigdel, a researcher in the Department of Public Health and Nursing at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway.

Cardiorespiratory fitness reflects the body's ability to carry oxygen during sustained physical activity. It can be measured with the VO2 max, the maximum amount of oxygen that the body can use during exercise. A higher VO2 max indicates better cardiorespiratory fitness.

Drawing on data from one of the largest health studies ever conducted, Shigdel and his team estimated the cardiorespiratory fitness of more than 26,000 Norwegians, 56 years old on average and free of disease cardiac at the beginning of the study. Researchers monitored their health status for 15 years.

The VO2 max scores were not available for all participants, so researchers estimated cardiorespiratory fitness based on the duration and intensity of physical activity each week. In women, women with good cardiorespiratory fitness were 25% less likely to have a first heart attack than those with low physical activity, while men with good physical condition were 10% less likely to have a heart attack. than those with low fitness group.

People who want to improve their cardiorespiratory fitness should strive to have at least 150 minutes of physical activity a week and minimize time spent in sedentary life, Shigdel said.

But that does not necessarily mean that you spend hours at the gym every day. "Those who are a little active will still have advantages," he said. "It's better to have something than nothing."

The reason why exercise affects men and women differently, said Dr. Aaron L. Baggish, director of the Cardiovascular Performance Program at Mbadachusetts General Hospital in Boston. But he cautioned against over-weighting the conclusion that women are getting more protection benefit than men.

"The message to remember for this study should not be that physical fitness does not matter to men," said Baggish, who wrote an editorial accompanying the study. "The message should be that you are the installer, the less likely you have your first heart attack."

Previous studies have consistently shown that higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness are badociated with fewer heart problems. However, most of the previous studies did not include women or did not report the results by bad, said Shigdel, despite the fact that heart disease behaves differently between women and men. For example, women aged 45 and over are more likely than men of the same age to die in the year following a first heart attack.

Most research also looked only at whether fitness was linked to a higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease, rather than a first heart attack – an important distinction because heart attacks are not always fatal . "Our results are more suitable for badessing the risk of disease," the authors noted.

In terms of cardiovascular risk, Baggish cautioned against focusing on fitness, to the exclusion of other factors. It is equally important, he said, to stop smoking, to follow a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, to stay away from processed foods and to avoid the stress.

"If you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other risk factors, you can not cope," he said. "Nobody can get enough exercise to get complete immunity against heart disease."

The American Heart Association News covers the health of the heart and brain. All opinions expressed in this story do not reflect the official position of the American Heart Association. Copyright is the property of the American Heart Association, Inc., and all rights are reserved. If you have any questions or comments about this story, please email [email protected].