While most physicians and nutritionists agree that low to moderate levels of weekly physical activity is often insufficient to significantly reduce body weight, studies indicate that those who transition from little to no daily physical activity to moderate levels have clinically meaningful reductions in cardiometabolic risk.
Scores of controlled trials over the last decade demonstrate that physical activity helps mitigate and reduce cardiometabolic risk via biologic mechanisms, which are not entirely dependent upon body weight or BMI reduction. Research increasingly supports that those who have prediabetes should consistently increase physical activity levels, despite little to no weight loss.
According to research published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, the benefits of physical activity may outweigh the impact of being overweight and/or obese in middle-aged and elderly people. The observational study, conducted with a sample size of over 5,000 people aged 55 years and older, followed up with participants for 15 years. While overweightness and obesity is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, and weight loss is recommended, it is slightly different with the elderly population: weight loss, especially unintentional, is often associated with muscle loss and death.
Regardless of age, physical activity is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Studies have further demonstrated that physical activity is protective for cardiovascular risk, playing a crucial role in the health of middle-aged and elderly people. Without adequate physical activity, those who are overweight and obese are at a significantly higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
The harmful effects of overweightness and obesity occur through adipose tissue, which accelerates the atherosclerotic process, thereby increasing cardiovascular risk. Exercise and physical activity lowers the harmful effects of atherosclerosis by reducing the stabilization of plagues on blood vessels, ultimately reducing the heart’s oxygen demand. Engaging in high levels of physical activity protects people from the harmful effects of adipose tissue on cardiovascular disease. The idea: move—and move often!
