summary: Physical activity significantly reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease because it reduces stress-related brain signaling. The study analyzed data from more than 50,000 participants and showed that people who adhered to physical activity guidelines had a 23% lower risk of developing heart disease.
People with stress-related conditions such as depression benefited the most, and their cardiovascular improvements were even more pronounced. This relationship is primarily due to physical activity’s ability to enhance the function of the prefrontal cortex, which helps regulate the brain’s stress response.
Important facts:
- The study conducted a comprehensive analysis of medical records, physical activity surveys, and brain imaging tests from 50,359 participants and found a clear association between physical activity and reduced cardiovascular risk. It was shown.
- Participants who performed recommended levels of physical activity showed reduced activity in stress-related brain regions, which contributed to a lower risk of heart disease.
- The benefits of physical activity are particularly pronounced in people with stress-related illnesses such as depression, suggesting that exercise may be particularly beneficial for this group.
sauce: mass general
New research shows that physical activity lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease by reducing stress-related signaling in the brain.
The study was led by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a founding member of the Massachusetts General Brigham Health System, and Journal of the American College of Cardiologypeople with stress-related illnesses such as depression experienced the most cardiovascular benefits from physical activity.
To assess the mechanisms underlying the psychological and cardiovascular disease benefits of physical activity, Dr. Ahmed Tawakol, a researcher and cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center, and his colleagues The medical records and other information of 50,359 participants were analyzed. General Brigham His Biobank completed a physical activity survey.
A subset of 774 participants also underwent brain imaging and measurements of stress-related brain activity.
At a median follow-up of 10 years, 12.9% of participants developed cardiovascular disease. Participants who met physical activity recommendations had a 23% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease compared to participants who did not meet recommendations.
People with higher levels of physical activity also tended to have lower stress-related brain activity. Remarkably, the stress-related decrease in brain activity was caused by increased function in the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain involved in executive function (i.e., decision making, impulse control) and is known to suppress the brain’s stress centers. The analysis took into account other lifestyle variables and risk factors for coronary artery disease.
Additionally, stress-related reductions in brain signaling partially explain the cardiovascular effects of physical activity.
As an extension of this finding, researchers found that in a cohort of 50,359 participants, exercise-induced cardiovascular found that the effect was significantly large.
“Physical activity was approximately twice as effective in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with depression. Effects on stress-related activity in the brain may explain this novel observation.” , said Tawakol, senior author of the study.
“Prospective studies are needed to identify potential mediators and prove causation. In the meantime, clinicians have discovered that physical activity has important effects on the brain and that stress, such as depression, We will be able to tell patients that this may have significant cardiovascular benefits for patients with related syndromes.”
author:
Hadir Zureigat, MD. Michael T. Osborne, MD; Shady Abohahem, MD. Dr. Kenechukwu Mezue. Charbel Gallios, MD. Simran Grewal, DO; Alex Caldeiro. Nikki Nadav. Giovanni Sivieri, MD. Dr. Taimur Abbasi, Azhar Radfar, Maryland. Wessam Aldosokhi, MD, Antonia V. Seligowski, MD, Megan M. Wafi, MD, and James Sawala-Guse, MD. Timothy W. Churchill, MD. Rachel P. Rosofsky, MD. Dr. Zahi Fayad. Anthony Rosenzweig, MD. Aaron Baggish, MD. Roger K. Pittman, MD. Dr. Carmel W. Choi. Jordan Smaller, MD. and Dr. Lisa M. Singh.
Funding:
This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
About this research news on exercise, stress, and cardiovascular disease
author: brandon chase
sauce: mass general
contact: Brandon Chase – Mass General
image: Image credited to Neuroscience News
Original research: Open access.
“Influence of stress-related neural pathways on the cardiovascular benefits of physical activity” Written by Ahmed Tawakol et al. Journal of the American College of Cardiology
abstract
Influence of stress-related neural pathways on the cardiovascular benefits of physical activity
background
The mechanisms underlying the psychological and cardiovascular disease (CVD) benefits of physical activity (PA) are not fully understood.
the purpose
This study tested that PA: 1) Stress-related neural activity known to enhance CVD and its role in anxiety/depression. 2) This neural effect partially reduces his CVD. 3) It has a greater impact on her CVD risk in patients with depression.
method
Participants from the Massachusetts General Brigham Biobank who completed the PA survey were studied.Subset executed 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography image. Stress-related neural activity was measured as the ratio of resting amygdala activity to cortical activity (AmygA).C). CVD events were identified from electronic health records.
result
A total of 50,359 adults were included (median age 60 years) [Q1-Q3: 45-70 years]; 40.1% men).Greater PA was associated with lower AmygAC (Standardized β: -0.245; 95% CI: -0.444 to -0.046; P = 0.016) and CVD events (HR: 0.802; 95% CI: 0.719-0.896; P < 0.001) in the multivariable model.AmigaC Reduction partially mediated the CVD effect of PA (OR: 0.96; 95% CI: 0.92-0.99; P < 0.05). Additionally, the effect of PA on cardiovascular disease events was greater in those with (versus without) pre-existing depression (HR: 0.860; 95% CI: 0.810-0.915; vs HR: 0.929; 95% CI: 0.910-0.949; P interaction = 0.011). Additionally, PA above guideline recommendations further reduced his CVD events, but only in patients with pre-existing depression (P interaction = 0.023).
conclusion
PA appears to reduce CVD risk in part by acting through stress-related activity in the brain. This may explain the novel observation that PA significantly reduces CVD risk in patients with depression.
