Physical Activity for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases

Over the last decade, the quantity and quality of scientific literature examining the relationship between physical activity (PA) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) have significantly increased. Data from the literature now unequivocally show that physical inactivity is one of the major risk factors for CVD. It is believed that obesity, the prevalence of which has tripled over the last three decades, and physical inactivity among children are the main factors that will increase the prevalence of CVD in this century. The cardiovascular benefits of exercise are multifactorial and include important systemic effects on skeletal muscle, the peripheral vasculature, metabolism, and neurohumoral systems, as well as beneficial alterations within the myocardium itself. Thus, exercise does much more than change traditional risk factors, such as blood pressure, blood lipids, glucose tolerance and insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and overweight and obesity. Evidence from epidemiologic studies suggests that the preventive effects of PA may be achieved by 150 minutes of moderate PA a week, while increases in the intensity and volume of exercise lead to further health benefits. This dose–response gradient is curvilinear, with the largest gains from the first hour of weekly exercise. However, although much progress has been made in this field, existing studies performed on human subjects do not clearly show what type, intensity, and duration of exercise is most beneficial to cardiovascular fitness and metabolic optimization. Animal-based exercise studies may provide more information and help to elucidate the abilities of different training regimens to reduce the risk of CVD.

Fit to Forgive: Effect of Mode of Exercise on Capacity to Override Grudges and Forgiveness

Forgiveness is important for repairing relationships that have been damaged by transgressions. In this research we explored the notion that the mode of physical exercise that victims of transgressions engage in and their capacity to override grudges are important in the process of forgiveness. Two exploratory studies that varied in samples (community non-student adults, undergraduate students) and research methods (non-experimental, experimental) were used to test these predictions. Findings showed that, compared to anaerobic or no exercise, aerobic and flexibility exercise facilitated self-control over grudges and forgiveness (Studies 1 and 2), and self-control over grudges explained the relation between exercise and forgiveness (Study 2). Possible mechanisms for future research are discussed.

Exercício físico aeróbico em mulheres com doença de Chagas

INTRODUÇÃO: A forma cardíaca da doença de Chagas causa modificações orgânicas e funcionais, sendo o exercício físico aeróbio uma alternativa de proposta terapêutica. OBJETIVO: avaliar o exercício físico aeróbio em mulheres com doença de Chagas crônica. MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Quatorze mulheres com doença de Chagas na faixa etária entre 40 e 60 anos, classe I da New York Heart Association (NYHA) foram divididas em dois grupos. Sete no G1 que realizaram exercício físico, com duas sessões diárias semanais por seis semanas e sete no G2 sem tal intervenção. O efeito do exercício físico foi avaliado por 27 variáveis fisioterapêuticas e ergoespirométricas no tempo zero (T0) e após seis semanas (T6). RESULTADO: No T6 em relação ao T0 a avaliação fisioterapêutica mostrou diferenças significativas na pressão arterial sistólica, no pico do fluxo expiratório, nas pressões inspiratória e expiratória máximas e na frequência cardíaca. Na ergoespirometria houve aumento significativo no DP máximo, no MET máximo, no estágio do protocolo de Bruce, no VO2 máximo, na duração do teste e na distância percorrida para as participantes de G1 e apenas na duração do teste para G2. Para G1 foi ainda observada em T6 uma diminuição significativa do duplo produto na intensidade moderada e alta na mesma carga de esforço. CONCLUSÃO: O treinamento aeróbio de curto período, de simples aplicação e com supervisão pode ser realizado com segurança, aumentando a tolerância ao exercício em pacientes com doença de Chagas crônica classe I da NYHA.

Physical Activity and Fitness in African Americans: Implications for Cardiovascular Health

The prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD), obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and physical inactivity is significantly higher in African Americans. The higher prevalence of these important risk factors is thought to be largely responsible for the higher CVD mortality rate in blacks. Limited evidence suggests that the aerobic power of African Americans may be inherently lower than that of whites. This apparent deficiency may be explained, in part, by differences in muscle oxidative capacity but is poorly understood. Studies have shown a lower prevalence of overweight/obesity, the metabolic syndrome, and insulin resistance with higher levels of physical activity/fitness. Training studies have shown that increasing physical activity and/or fitness positively affects metabolic risk factors, body composition, and insulin sensitivity. The few studies of African Americans suggest that they respond to exercise training in a manner similar to whites. Controlling blood pressure of hypertensive blacks at levels comparable with that of whites could result in more than 7000 fewer deaths from CVD. Physical fitness has been shown to be negatively associated with blood pressure in African Americans, but results from interventional studies have been equivocal. Some evidence suggests that increased physical activity and/or fitness may reduce the blood pressure response to submaximal exercise and other stressors in African Americans. Blacks have higher levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and lower levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, and small dense low-density lipoprotein particles. Studies suggest that the blood lipid response to exercise training is similar between African Americans and whites. There may be an intensity threshold of 75% of age-predicted maximal heart rate to elicit significant changes in HDL-C. More research is needed to explore the association between physical activity/fitness and CVD risk factors in this population.