Monday, May 24, 2010

Walking Helps Reduce Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors

In a study led by Peter T. Katzmarzuk and published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the number of steps taken each day can help improve your cardiovascular health.

The cardiovascular risk factors measured in the study are

  • Abdominal obesity (waist size)
  • High levels of triglycerides
  • Low level of HDL or good cholesterol
  • Elevated blood pressure
  • And Elevated fasting glucose

According to the study, more steps per day taken was associated with significantly lower odds of having at-risk cardiovascular disease profiles. On average, for each additional 1000 steps per day taken, was associated with a 8 to 13% reduction in the odds of having a large waist circumference, low level of HDL and high levels of triglycerides.

Those that took 10,000 or more steps each day had 72% lower odds of having the cardiovascular risk factors compared to those that took less than 5000 steps each day. This agrees with the recommendation to walk 10,000 steps each day for chances of optimum health.

Exercise-To-A-Healthier-Life.com

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