Exercise, Not Diet, May be Best Defense Against Heart Disease

http://www.btimes.com/News/article/a...D=35830&sID=20

Exercise, Not Diet, May be Best Defense Against Heart Disease

by Aaron Levin

Baltimore Times

Originally posted 12/5/2003

Despite widespread attention to diet, calorie intake may not be a
major factor in causing death by heart disease, according to a 17-year
study of almost 9,800 Americans.

Instead, losing excess weight "or not becoming overweight to begin
with" and exercising may do more to ward off death from heart disease,
say Jing Fang, M.D., and colleagues from the Albert Einstein College
of Medicine in the Bronx, New York.

"The fact is that those who both exercised more and ate more
nevertheless had low cardiovascular mortality," says Fang. Expending
energy through physical activity may be the key to cutting the risks
of heart disease and living a longer, more healthful life, she says.

The study appears in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

The researchers studied data from 9,790 participants in the First
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a national study
from 1971 to 1975 that was funded by the U.S. government. Fang‚s group
compared reports of physical activity, body mass index and dietary
caloric intake to deaths from heart disease through 1992.

They grouped participants by their initial reports of caloric intake
(low, middle, high), recreation exercise (least, moderate, most) and
body mass index (normal, overweight, obese). Body mass index is a
measure of weight in relation to height.

Overweight and obese participants, those who consumed fewer calories,
and those who exercised less were also likely to be older, black, have
a lower family income, less likely to have graduated high school, and
more likely to have higher blood pressure and cholesterol levels than
those who ate and exercised more.

During 17 years of follow-up, 1,531 participants died of heart
disease. After adjusting for BMI and physical activity, caloric intake
was unrelated to heart disease. Those who exercised more and ate more
were both leaner and had less than half the cardiovascular disease
mortality than did those who exercised less, ate less and were
overweight.

"Subjects with the lowest caloric intake, least physical activity, and
who were overweight or obese had significantly higher cardiovascular
mortality rates than those with high caloric intake, most physical
activity, and normal weight," Fang says. The difference in mortality
rates was 55 percent.

Those who eat less won't necessarily be thinner, she says, and eating
more does not have to translate into obesity. People who were
overweight and exercised less at the start faced increased
cardiovascular mortality, even if they ate less.

"This suggests that heart disease outcome was not determined by a
single factor, but rather by a compound of behavioral, socioeconomic,
genetic and clinical characteristics," she says.

A focus on increased energy expenditure rather than reduced caloric
intake may be the most practical outcome of this study, she says, and
may offer the most productive behavioral strategy by which to extend
healthy life.

(Credit: to the Health Behavior News Service.)

Diarmid Logan wrote:

http://www.btimes.com/News/article/a...D=35830&sID=20

Exercise, Not Diet, May be Best Defense Against Heart Disease

What, exercise? What a novel idea but not in a forum where the
answer is some magic pill or the latest, groan Atkins, diet. Get off
your asses and do something physical - walk, hike, run, jump rope,
dance or screw. All the lovely conveniences of life have made people
obese slobs - self propelled or ride on lawn mowers for postage
stamp lawns, leaf blowers, snow blowers, drive around the parking
lot for 5 minutes to find the closest parking spot, the list goes on
and on. All these alleged. "I'm fat because of bad genes," or "the
nasty GI of corn makes me go out and eat three Snickers Bars," ....
pick your favorite obese excuse.

Exercise results in weight loss(some common sense you can't walk for
a mile and burn 100 calories and eat a box of chocolate chip
cookies) and brings on self esteem. The momentum is then in your
favor. Once you gain self respect the rest is a cake walk.

A reformed fat slob close to 60 that looks, feels and medically
shows to be 40.



--
Doug Freese
"Caveat Lector"

Once upon a time, our fellow Doug Freese
rambled on about " Exercise, Not Diet, May be Best Defense
Against Heart Disease."
Our champion De-Medicalizing in sci.med.nutrition retorts, thusly ...

What, exercise? What a novel idea but not in a forum where the
answer is some magic pill or the latest, groan Atkins, diet. Get off
your asses and do something physical - walk, hike, run, jump rope,

The biggest advocates of the quackery called taking 'magic pills' are
the science ngs.

Diet has always been relative to activity levels.

Just my opinion. But, I am *right* as usual!

Duh. why are you posting old data just because a newspaper
is having a slow day and decides to publish old news.

Diarmid Logan wrote:

http://www.btimes.com/News/article/a...D=35830&sID=20

Exercise, Not Diet, May be Best Defense Against Heart Disease

by Aaron Levin

Baltimore Times

Originally posted 12/5/2003

Despite widespread attention to diet, calorie intake may not be a
major factor in causing death by heart disease, according to a 17-year
study of almost 9,800 Americans.

Instead, losing excess weight "or not becoming overweight to begin
with" and exercising may do more to ward off death from heart disease,
say Jing Fang, M.D., and colleagues from the Albert Einstein College
of Medicine in the Bronx, New York.

"The fact is that those who both exercised more and ate more
nevertheless had low cardiovascular mortality," says Fang. Expending
energy through physical activity may be the key to cutting the risks
of heart disease and living a longer, more healthful life, she says.

The study appears in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

The researchers studied data from 9,790 participants in the First
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a national study
from 1971 to 1975 that was funded by the U.S. government. Fang‚s group
compared reports of physical activity, body mass index and dietary
caloric intake to deaths from heart disease through 1992.

They grouped participants by their initial reports of caloric intake
(low, middle, high), recreation exercise (least, moderate, most) and
body mass index (normal, overweight, obese). Body mass index is a
measure of weight in relation to height.

Overweight and obese participants, those who consumed fewer calories,
and those who exercised less were also likely to be older, black, have
a lower family income, less likely to have graduated high school, and
more likely to have higher blood pressure and cholesterol levels than
those who ate and exercised more.

During 17 years of follow-up, 1,531 participants died of heart
disease. After adjusting for BMI and physical activity, caloric intake
was unrelated to heart disease. Those who exercised more and ate more
were both leaner and had less than half the cardiovascular disease
mortality than did those who exercised less, ate less and were
overweight.

"Subjects with the lowest caloric intake, least physical activity, and
who were overweight or obese had significantly higher cardiovascular
mortality rates than those with high caloric intake, most physical
activity, and normal weight," Fang says. The difference in mortality
rates was 55 percent.

Those who eat less won't necessarily be thinner, she says, and eating
more does not have to translate into obesity. People who were
overweight and exercised less at the start faced increased
cardiovascular mortality, even if they ate less.

"This suggests that heart disease outcome was not determined by a
single factor, but rather by a compound of behavioral, socioeconomic,
genetic and clinical characteristics," she says.

A focus on increased energy expenditure rather than reduced caloric
intake may be the most practical outcome of this study, she says, and
may offer the most productive behavioral strategy by which to extend
healthy life.

(Credit: to the Health Behavior News Service.)

Once upon a time, our fellow Patricia Heil
rambled on about " Exercise, Not Diet, May be Best Defense
Against Heart Disease."
Our champion De-Medicalizing in sci.med.nutrition retorts, thusly ...

Duh. why are you posting old data just because a newspaper
is having a slow day and decides to publish old news.

That is the way of science on these forums.

Ha, ... Hah, Ha!

Doug Freese wrote in message .. .
Diarmid Logan wrote:

http://www.btimes.com/News/article/a...D=35830&sID=20

Exercise, Not Diet, May be Best Defense Against Heart Disease

What, exercise? What a novel idea but not in a forum where the
answer is some magic pill or the latest, groan Atkins, diet. Get off
your asses and do something physical - walk, hike, run, jump rope,
dance or screw. All the lovely conveniences of life have made people
obese slobs - self propelled or ride on lawn mowers for postage
stamp lawns, leaf blowers, snow blowers, drive around the parking
lot for 5 minutes to find the closest parking spot, the list goes on
and on. All these alleged. "I'm fat because of bad genes," or "the
nasty GI of corn makes me go out and eat three Snickers Bars," ....
pick your favorite obese excuse.

Exercise results in weight loss(some common sense you can't walk for
a mile and burn 100 calories and eat a box of chocolate chip
cookies) and brings on self esteem. The momentum is then in your
favor. Once you gain self respect the rest is a cake walk.

A reformed fat slob close to 60 that looks, feels and medically
shows to be 40.

I don't remember hearing anyone from the low-carb camp recomend to
anyone that they avoid exercise, or that it is not necessary for
weight loss. Once a person puts on more than 20 or thirty lbs it is
still difficult to take it off, even with a low-carb diet, without
getting into some physical activity to build up a decent amount of
muscle mass.

What we have learned from recent research, which a lot of people seem
to not want to accept, is that there is something about a high-carb
diet that makes it easy to gain body fat and difficult to take it off.
Conversely there is something about a low-carb diet that makes it
easier to lose weight and take fat off. It has also been
scientifically shown in several studies that a low-carb diet improves
blood lipid profiles, which in itself shows how wrong all the
naysayers have been.

TC

On Sat, 06 Dec 2003 13:50:24 GMT, Doug Freese
wrote:



Diarmid Logan wrote:

http://www.btimes.com/News/article/a...D=35830&sID=20

Exercise, Not Diet, May be Best Defense Against Heart Disease

What, exercise? What a novel idea but not in a forum where the
answer is some magic pill or the latest, groan Atkins, diet. Get off
your asses and do something physical - walk, hike, run, jump rope,
dance or screw. All the lovely conveniences of life have made people
obese slobs - self propelled or ride on lawn mowers for postage
stamp lawns, leaf blowers, snow blowers, drive around the parking
lot for 5 minutes to find the closest parking spot, the list goes on
and on. All these alleged. "I'm fat because of bad genes," or "the
nasty GI of corn makes me go out and eat three Snickers Bars," ....
pick your favorite obese excuse.

The GI issue is mainly about controlling blood sugar - low GI items
generally have a better match to the activity profile of regular
insulin (for those of us who inject it) and cause less of a BS spike
and/or subsequent low for those with type 2 diabetes or those at high
risk for it.


Exercise results in weight loss(some common sense you can't walk for
a mile and burn 100 calories and eat a box of chocolate chip
cookies) and brings on self esteem. The momentum is then in your
favor. Once you gain self respect the rest is a cake walk.

The problem is that many are sold on the idea of low-intensity
"aerobic" exercise, which roughly translates into jogging along at 12
- 15 minute per mile pace. This doesn't produce much benefit other
than the calories it burns, but that is likely offset by the increase
in appetite.


A reformed fat slob close to 60 that looks, feels and medically
shows to be 40.

"Diarmid Logan" wrote in message
om...
http://www.btimes.com/News/article/a...D=35830&sID=20

Exercise, Not Diet, May be Best Defense Against Heart Disease

The author is wrong in that premise as there is no one single "best" defense
against a multi-faceted disease. There are many factors that all need to be
looked at.
Tell that to the marathon guy who died of a heart attack at 42 years of age.
You need to lower all your risk factors as any one can kill you.
Hypertension, obesity, family history need to be taken care of..

In article ,
Diarmid Logan wrote:
http://www.btimes.com/News/article/a...D=35830&sID=20

Exercise, Not Diet, May be Best Defense Against Heart Disease

by Aaron Levin

Baltimore Times

Originally posted 12/5/2003

Despite widespread attention to diet, calorie intake may not be a
major factor in causing death by heart disease, according to a 17-year
study of almost 9,800 Americans.

Instead, losing excess weight "or not becoming overweight to begin
with" and exercising may do more to ward off death from heart disease,
say Jing Fang, M.D., and colleagues from the Albert Einstein College
of Medicine in the Bronx, New York.

"The fact is that those who both exercised more and ate more
nevertheless had low cardiovascular mortality," says Fang. Expending
energy through physical activity may be the key to cutting the risks
of heart disease and living a longer, more healthful life, she says.

The study appears in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

The researchers studied data from 9,790 participants in the First
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a national study
from 1971 to 1975 that was funded by the U.S. government. Fangs group
compared reports of physical activity, body mass index and dietary
caloric intake to deaths from heart disease through 1992.

They grouped participants by their initial reports of caloric intake
(low, middle, high), recreation exercise (least, moderate, most) and
body mass index (normal, overweight, obese). Body mass index is a
measure of weight in relation to height.

Overweight and obese participants, those who consumed fewer calories,
and those who exercised less were also likely to be older, black, have
a lower family income, less likely to have graduated high school, and
more likely to have higher blood pressure and cholesterol levels than
those who ate and exercised more.

This is the typical misuse of statistics. That people who
exercise more have better health does not necessarily mean
that the exercise is the cause; someone with better health
is more likely to want to engage in physical activity!

One can use strong simultaneous equations methods to try
to get around the problem of too many dependent variables,
but it would be very difficult even here to obtain enough
instrumental variables to identify the relations. This is
a problem with all studies on human populations using that
type of data; to get a good result on the effectiveness of
exercise, one would have to at least take a matched sample
at a given age, including matched by how much exercise they
were doing, and decide how much exercise each individual will
continue to do for at least a decade, if the results are to
be as claimed. One CAN do this with laboratory rats.

....................
--
This address is for information only. I do not claim that these views
are those of the Statistics Department or of Purdue University.
Herman Rubin, Department of Statistics, Purdue University
Phone: (765)494-6054 FAX: (765)494-0558

"Robert" wrote in message ...
"Diarmid Logan" wrote in message
om...
http://www.btimes.com/News/article/a...D=35830&sID=20

Exercise, Not Diet, May be Best Defense Against Heart Disease

The author is wrong in that premise as there is no one single "best" defense
against a multi-faceted disease. There are many factors that all need to be
looked at.
Tell that to the marathon guy who died of a heart attack at 42 years of age.
You need to lower all your risk factors as any one can kill you.
Hypertension, obesity, family history need to be taken care of..

That guy who died of a heart attack was a vegan wasn't he? And he was
a long distance runner wasn't he? And he didn't believe in vitamin
supplements didn't he?

Wonder what led to the heart attack. ;-)

TC