Exercise, healthy diet in midlife may prevent serious health conditions in senior years

Exercise, healthy diet in midlife may prevent serious health conditions in senior years

From Journal of the American Heart Association Report

Research Highlights:

• Regular exercise and a healthy diet for middle-aged adults may be key to achieving optimal cardiometabolic health later in life.
• Cardiometabolic health risk factors include the metabolic syndrome, a cluster of health conditions such as excess body fat around the waist, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes.
• In an analysis of more than 2,300 U.S. adults, researchers found that following the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ physical activity guidelines in tandem with dietary recommendations was associated with a lower chance of developing the metabolic syndrome and other serious health conditions as people age from midlife to their senior years.

“Health care professionals could use these findings to further promote and emphasize to their patients the benefits of a healthy diet and a regular exercise schedule to avoid the development of numerous chronic health conditions in the present and in later life, … The earlier people make these lifestyle changes, the more likely they will be to lower their risk of cardiovascular-associated diseases later in life.”

– Corresponding author & FHS investigator, Vanessa Xanthakis, Ph.D., FAHA, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Biostatistics in the Section of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology at Boston University School of Medicine.

Read more at the AHA Newsroom: https://newsroom.heart.org/news/…

Scientific Article Full Text: Lee, J., Walker, M. E., Bourdillon, M. T., Spartano, N., Rogers, G. T., Jacques, P. F., … & Xanthakis, V. (2021). The conjoint associations of adherence to physical activity and dietary guidelines with cardiometabolic health: The Framingham Heart Study.