Getting a little bit fit is as good for fighting cholesterol as taking statin pills – and the two together are a winning combination, experts say today.
And people with high cholesterol levels cut their risk of dying by up to 70% if they became very fit – even when not taking pills, according to a major US study.
The findings, reported in The Lancet come from research on more than 10,000 armed forces veterans over periods of about ten years.
Researchers said walking, gardening or gym classes would all help to attain a level of protection the same as that conferred by statin pills.
Natasha Stewart, of the British Heart Foundation, welcomed the findings.
She said: “Both statins and exercise can help combat high blood cholesterol levels and look after your heart.
"However, this research shows that the two together can provide a winning combination to further improve your heart health, with higher intensity exercise possibly offering more protection."
Researcher Peter Kokkinos from the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Washington DC, USA, said: "The fitness necessary to attain protection that is much the same or greater than that achieved by statin treatment in unfit individuals is moderate and feasible for many middle-aged and older adults through moderate intensity physical activity such as walking, gardening, and gym classes."
He added: "Individuals with dyslipidaemia (high cholesterol levels) should improve their fitness to at least a moderate level.
"Treatment with statins is important, but better fitness improves survival significantly and is a valuable additional treatment or an alternative when statins cannot be taken."
Leave a Reply