A diet of vegetables and other healthy foods, combined with a routine of regular physical activity, may be essential for middle-aged adults who achieve optimal cardiometabolic health later in life, according to new research from Journal of the American Heart Association.
Cardiometabolic health risk factors include metabolic syndrome, a group of disorders that include excess fat around the waist, insulin resistance, and high blood pressure. The presence of metabolic syndrome may increase the risk of developing heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, according to the study.
The 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans and the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans note that middle age provides the most favorable cardiometabolic health outcomes later in life. Physical activity guidelines recommend that adults perform at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes per week, such as walking or swimming. The dietary guidelines, which were updated in January 2021, offer suggestions for healthy eating patterns, nutritional targets, and dietary limits.
In an analysis of data from participants in the Framingham Heart study, which began more than 70 years ago in Framingham, Massachusetts, the study’s investigators examined data from 2379 adults, aged 18 and over, and their adherence. to the 2 guidelines. They noted that meeting a combination of the two recommendations during middle age was associated with lower chances of metabolic syndrome and the development of serious health conditions as older participants in their senior years in 2016 to 2019 examinations, according to the study’s authors. .
“Healthcare professionals could use these findings to further promote and emphasize to patients the benefits of a healthy diet and regular exercise program to avoid the development of many chronic health conditions now and in the future,” said the author. corresponding Vanessa Xanthakis, Dr., FAHA, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Biostatistics in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology at Boston University School of Medicine in Boston, in a press release. “The earlier people start these lifestyle changes, the more likely they are to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease later in life.”
Study participants were selected from the third generation of the Framingham Heart study. Participants were examined between 2008 and 2011, and the researchers assessed physical activity using a specialized device known as an omnidirectional accelerometer.
The device, which tracks sedentary lifestyle and physical activity, was worn on the participant’s hip for 8 days. The researchers also collected dietary information from food frequency questionnaires to measure the types and levels of food and nutrients consumed.
In this analysis, the researchers observed that, among all participants, 28% met the recommendations for both physical activity and dietary guidelines and 47% made the recommendations in only 1 of the guidelines.
The researchers also noted that:
- Participants who followed only the physical activity recommendations had a 51% lower chance of metabolic syndrome.
- Participants who adhered to the dietary guidelines were 33% less likely.
- Participants who followed both guidelines were 65% less likely to develop metabolic syndrome.
“It is noteworthy that we observed a dose-response association of dietary adherence and physical activity guidelines with risk of cardiometabolic disease later in life,” Xanthakis said in a press release. Participants who met the physical activity guidelines had a progressively lower risk of cardiometabolic disease because they increased adherence to dietary guidelines.
The findings cannot be generalized to people from other racial or ethnic groups because all study participants were white adults, according to the study’s authors. They added that further studies with a sample of multiethnic participants are needed.
REFERENCE
Exercise and healthy eating in middle age can prevent serious health conditions in recent years. American Heart Association. Published March 31, 2021. Accessed March 31, 2021. https://newsroom.heart.org/news/exercise-healthy-diet-in-midlife-may-prevent-serious-health-conditions-in-senior-years