A diet of vegetables and other healthy foods combined with a regular physical activity routine may be the key for middle-aged adults to achieve optimal cardiometabolic health later in life, according to new research by American Heart Association Journal.
Cardiometabolic health risk factors include metabolic syndrome, a group of disorders that includes excess fat around the waist, insulin resistance and high blood pressure. The presence of the metabolic syndrome may increase the risk of developing heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, according to the study.
The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans 2018 and the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans note that middle age gives 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 of vigorous physical activity per week, such as walking or swimming. The dietary guidelines, which were updated in January 2021, offer suggestions for healthy eating patterns, nutritional goals 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 researchers examined data from 2,379 adults, 18 years of age or older, and their adherence to the 2 guidelines. They noted that compliance with a combination of the 2 recommendations during middle age was associated with lower chances of metabolic syndrome and the development of serious health problems as participants with advanced age in exams from 2016 to 2019, according to the authors of the study. study.
“Health professionals can use these findings to further promote and emphasize to their patients the benefits of a healthy diet and a regular exercise schedule to prevent the development of numerous chronic health conditions in the present and later in life,” said corresponding author Vanessa Xanthakis, PhD, FAHA, assistant professor of medicine and biostatistics at the Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology Section of Boston University School of Medicine in Boston, in a press release. “The sooner people make 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 physical and sedentary activities, was used on the participant’s hips for 8 days. The researchers also collected dietary information from food frequency questionnaires to measure the types and levels of foods and nutrients consumed.
In this analysis, the researchers observed that, among all participants, 28% met the recommendations of both the physical activity and dietary guidelines and 47% complied with the recommendations of only 1 of the guidelines.
The researchers also noted that:
- Participants who followed physical activity recommendations alone were 51% less likely to have metabolic syndrome.
- Participants who followed dietary guidelines alone 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 adherence to dietary 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 as they increased adherence to dietary guidelines.”
The results cannot be generalized to people in other racial or ethnic groups, since all study participants were white adults, according to the study authors. They added that additional studies with a multiethnic sample of participants are needed.
REFERENCE
Exercise and a healthy diet in middle age can prevent serious health problems in old age. 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