Diet and Exercise Can Help Prevent Future Heart Problems
Diet and Exercise Can Help Prevent Future Heart Problems
What is the problem and what is known about it so far?
About 10 million people in the U.S. have blood glucose levels that are higher than normal. This can make someone more likely to get diabetes and to have heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol (a waxy fat-like substance that builds up in the blood vessels). Many studies have shown that exercise and certain drugs can help these people prevent diabetes and heart disease.
Why did the researchers do this particular study?
People who have diabetes or are likely to get diabetes are also likely to have high cholesterol and to get heart disease. Researchers for the Diabetes Prevention Program (http://www.preventdiabetes.com/) showed that diet and exercise is the best way to help prevent type 2 diabetes. The drug metformin, which helps control blood glucose, was also shown to help prevent type 2 diabetes. Because of this, these researchers wanted to see whether changing diet and exercise habits or taking metformin could also help prevent heart disease.
Who was studied?
A total of 3,234 people with high blood glucose made up the study group. These people took part in the Diabetes Prevention Program.
How was the study done?
The people in the study were given metformin or a placebo (a drug that has no effect), or they were told to exercise and diet to lose weight and improve their health. When the study began, the researchers measured each person's blood pressure and cholesterol and did tests to check the health of their hearts. Every year for about 3 years, the researchers again measured the patients' blood pressure and cholesterol and checked to see if they had any heart problems.
What did the researchers find?
By the end of the study, blood pressure was higher in the group of patients who were given metformin. It was higher also in the group that was given a placebo. But blood pressure was lower in the group that started exercising and dieting.
Total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol) was about the same in all three groups, but HDL cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol) was much better in the group who started exercising and dieting.
Over the 3 years, the three groups had only a small number of heart attacks or strokes.
What were the limitations of the study?
This study lasted only 3 years, which probably explains why there were so few heart attacks or strokes in all three groups. A longer study will give researchers a better idea of how the different types of treatment affect the long-term health of the heart.
What are the implications of the study?
This study showed that changing your lifestyle by eating better, exercising more, and losing weight lowers the chances of getting problems that could lead to heart disease, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
