A study reveals that daily exercise can reduce the risk of heart attack even in polluted areas

Regular physical activity can reduce the risk of heart attack, even in areas with moderate to high levels of road pollution, says a study.

"While exercise reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, pollution may increase Nadine Kubesch of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.

"Currently, there is little data on whether poor air quality negates the protective benefits of physical activity in preventing heart attacks," said Kubesch, author Main of the study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. In Denmark, Germany and Spain, the levels of outdoor physical activity (sport, cycling, walking and gardening) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2 pollutant generated by traffic) were evaluated in 51 868 adults aged 50 to 65 years

. There were 2,936 first heart attacks and 324 recurrent heart attacks

Higher levels of pollution were badociated with more heart attacks, however, the risk was lower among those who were physically active, the researchers found.

or more hours a week reduce the risk of recurrent heart attack by 31%; there was a 58% reduction when the four types of physical activity (totaling a total of four hours a week or more) were combined, regardless of air quality.

Those who practiced sport had an initial rate of 15% lower According to the researchers, heart attacks resulted in a 9% reduction in risk, regardless of air quality.

Compared to participants with low NO2 exposure, those who were in high-risk areas said they had a heart attack of 39% and that they were suffering from a recurrent heart attack.