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Exercise Flexes Arteries
Exercise can counteract the genetic
risk of stiff arteries, says a new study of healthy female twins.
A report on the findings appears
in the July 16 issue of the Journal of the American College
of Cardiology.
Artery stiffness is measured using
something called the augmentation index. This is the first study
to separate lifestyle, physical factors and genetic influences
on the augmentation index, which has been shown to predict heart
disease risk and death.
By using twins in their study,
the researchers were able to exclude genetic effects when they
were investigating the association between arterial stiffness
and lifestyle factors. The use of twins also let the researchers
determine the different effect that a specific lifestyle variable
had on people with different genetic risks.
The study included 53 pairs of
identical twins, 262 pairs of fraternal twins and 54 singletons
whose twin was excluded from the study or had incomplete data.
To calculate the augmentation index
in each study subject, the researchers measured pressure waveforms
in arteries in the arms. The twins were also weighed and measured
to determine their body mass indexes and body shapes.
The study found that being fat
around the waist ("apple shape") was associated with
a higher augmentation index compared to being fat mostly below
the waist ("pear shape").
"For the first time, the results
of the study provide a direct link between accumulation of fat
in the abdominal region (measured accurately by a body fat scan)
and arterial stiffness, a known measure of heart disease risk
and death. The study also demonstrates higher arterial stiffness
in smokers and lower stiffness in high genetic risk individuals
who exercise regularly," study author Jerry R. Greenfield
says in a news release.
That means that, if they engage
in regular physical activity, even women with a genetic predisposition
to arterial stiffness can reduce their augmentation index levels
down to that of women with low genetic risk of arterial stiffness.
More information
Here's where you can learn more
about arteries
and the heart.
Reference
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