HHS HealthBeat (November 21, 2008)

Learning from heart disease

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Being physically active reduces your chances of heart disease. And if you have heart disease, taking up the habit of physical activity can be one good way to control the condition. So you might think heart disease would keep patients motivated to be active.  

But when researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at that, it isn’t what they found. Guixiang Zhao and her colleagues looked at national survey data on whether people did at least moderate physical activity regularly.

``In comparison to people without heart disease, people with heart disease were 24 percent less likely to meet moderate – and 55 percent less likely to meet vigorous – physical activity recommendations.’’ (11 seconds)

The researchers say people with heart disease who are capable of physical activity should consider doing it.

The study was in the journal Circulation.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: November, 21 2008