Heart challenge for middle-aged
Thursday May 16th, 2013
The hearts of middle-aged people benefit massively from improvements in fitness, according to a series of studies published last night.
British
researchers showed how middle age is a crucial period during which body
fats begins to damage the arteries.
The researchers at Imperial College, London, carried out scans on some 200 volunteers of all ages.
They found that young people who carry body-fat continued to have supple arteries - but, after the age of 50, fat was linked to increasing stiffness.
Their findings are to be reported in the journal Hypertension.
Researcher Dr Declan O'Regan said: "The effects of having more fat seem to be different depending on your age. It looks like young people may be able to adapt to excess body fat, but by middle age the cumulative exposure to years of obesity may start to cause permanent damage to the arteries.
"One implication is that the potential beneficial effects of weight loss may depend on your age and how long you have been overweight."
Meanwhile at an American Heart Association conference, researchers linked lack of fitness in middle age to increased risk of heart failure.
Researches in Dallas, Texas, studied more than 9,000 people, giving them fitness tests with an eight year gap. They then tracked those who ended up in hospital with heart failure over the next 18 years.
Researcher Dr Ambarish Pandey, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, said: "People who weren't fit at the start of the study were at higher risk for heart failure after age 65.
"However, those who improved their fitness reduced their heart failure risk, compared to those who continued to have a low fitness level eight years later."
The British Heart Foundation said the findings highlighted the need to keep fit.
Amy Thompson, from the foundation, said: "It’s important to keep in shape at every stage of your life – not just middle age – because keeping fit and physically active can substantially reduce your risk of heart disease."
B Corden et al. Body Fat Is Associated With Reduced Aortic Stiffness Until Middle Age. Hypertension June 2013. DOI: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.113.01177
Tags: Fitness | Heart Health | North America | UK News
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