The importance of Exercise for a Healthy Life Style - Research Paper Example

? The Importance of Exercise for a Healthy Life Style Thesis ment Regular exercise has many health benefits, including improvements in physical health, and reduction of risk factors for several diseases and other chronic illnesses. The Importance of Exercise for a Healthy Life Style Introduction & History Audrey F. Manley, acting Surgeon General reported that for more than a century, the Surgeon General's office focused the nation's attention on a variety of important public health issues. Previous reports by the Surgeon General were delivered on topics such as the adverse health consequences of smoking, nutrition, violence, and HIV/AIDS. These reports heightened the public's awareness of these important health issues and led the way for major public health initiatives (Miller 1). Dr. Manley described the 1996 Surgeon General's first Report on Physical Activity and Health as more than just a summary of the science but also as a national call to action. Physical activity now joined sound nutrition, seat belt use, and the negative health effects of tobacco use as essential health objectives for the nation. Dr. Manley ascertained that due to the direct relationship between physical activity and disease prevention and premature death, Americans must get serious about their commitment to healthy physical activity (Miller 1). Sedentary lifestyle or inactivity is a major contributor to obesity and being overweight as well as to numerous other diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and certain cancers. There is a growing body of literature indicating that regular physical exercise may prove beneficial in lessening the consequences or preventing the onset of a wide range of disease and chronic conditions (Jonker 38- 43; Pinto 247). Exercise and Physical Health According to the Surgeon General, due to lifestyle and dietary changes, obesity and overweight have reached epidemic proportions in United States. While there are numerous reasons for the overweight and obesity epidemic, it is undisputed that nutritional habits as well as physical inactivity are major contributors to the problem. Blair and Brodney (1999) reported that epidemiological studies consistently showed that active persons were protected against the health risks of being overweight or obese and actually had lesser mortality and morbidity. Regular physical activity resulted in positive metabolic changes that appeared to provide part of the protection against disease. Since these positive metabolic changes were found to occur independently of body composition changes, the authors suggested the promotion of physical activity without an emphasis on weight changes, thus avoiding the frustration many obese individuals feel toward exercise since their efforts often do not lead to changes in weight or body composition. Brodney et al. (459- 467) examined the nutritional habits of men and women across three fitness categories (high, moderate, and low) and compared their nutritional intake to the national dietary recommendations. Results showed that both women and men with increased fitness levels consume diets with a significantly lower percent of calories derived from fat and saturated fat, had significantly higher dietary fiber intake and significantly lower cholesterol intake than did those less fit individuals. The more fit individuals consumed diets that more closely aligned with the national dietary recommendations. The Surgeon General (USDHHS, 1996) reported that people who are more active were also less likely to be obese, since exercise does not always result in increased appetite. This may be due in part to increased energy expenditures without the increase in appetite. However, in general, studies have shown that from exercise alone people do not lose significant amounts of weight but rather lose more weight through a mixture of exercise and diet. Contrary to these studies, which indicated that a combination of diet and exercise were the best method for weight loss, two studies indicated that exercise alone can reduce body weight and body fat. Mayo, Grantham, and Balasekaran, (207- 213) found in their study that moderate to vigorous exercise can result in weight loss. Obese young men who participated in a four- month exercise program that met five days per week for one- hour training sessions lost about 26.4 pounds while the control group (non­- exercisers) lost none. Fifty- seven percent of these sessions were considered physically intense for obese participants. A reduction in waist and hip circumferences and waist- to­ hip ratios indicated weight losses were derived from reductions in abdominal fat; a risk factor for diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Results of a study on sedentary, overweight, post- menopausal women, Irwin et al. (496- 470) showed similar results. Participants in moderately intense sports or recreational activities, 3.5 days per week, had significant reductions in body weight, total body fat, intra- abdominal fat, and subcutaneous fat than did the control group. Bond et al. (811- 814) reported that habitual physical activity was an important component of a comprehensive weight maintenance program for morbidly obese persons. Results of Bond's study showed that physical activity had a positive effect on the percentage of excess weight lost by gastric bypass patients two years following surgery. Patients who reported participation in aerobic forms of physical activity, such as walking, lost a significantly greater amount of excess weight and decreased BMI than did sedentary patients. These results substantiate previous research (Cook & Edwards 80- 82) that showed physical activity was important for long- term weight management for overweight and obese individuals and supported the inclusion of physical activity in a comprehensive, postoperative weight management program for gastric bypass patients. Exercise and Disease Prevention Diabetes According to Beamer (85- 86), diabetes mellitus is a large and growing health problem in the U.S. Exercise is an important tool in the prevention and treatment of diabetes mellitus by providing beneficial effects on excess weight, insulin resistance, and atherosclerosis. Beamer also reported that exercise is an effective, safe, inexpensive, and non- controversial means to treat, and in some instances, prevent diabetes. The American Diabetes Association (Sec. 50) reported that most diabetics are sedentary, unfit and have little experience in structured exercise programs thus the recommendation that diabetics consciously increase their everyday activities such as using the stairs instead of elevators, walking a few extra yards, or doing a few minutes of housework. The American Diabetes Association also reported that exercise is especially relevant for persons with type 2 diabetes because it improves insulin resistance and decreases the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. Exercise improves insulin sensitivity and glycemic control and although most diabetic patients require medications to control blood sugar, according to the American Diabetes Association, diet modification and exercise should be emphasized in every regimen. While exercise helps control blood sugar levels, its greatest benefit to diabetics is a reduction in cardiac risk. Lee et al. (7- 19) blamed increased caloric consumption and reduced energy expenditures and the resulting increase in body fat for the rapid increase in the U.S. prevalence of early onset of type 2 diabetes. Mokdad et al. (76- 79) reported that while heredity can impact susceptibility to type 2 diabetes, a sedentary lifestyle and long- term obesity are key triggers for most people. Adults with BMI's of 30 or greater have a five­fold increased risk of developing the disease than do people with a normal BMI of 25 or less. The National Cholesterol Education Program's (NCEP) (2486- 2497) reported that diabetes and related metabolic disorders were major risk factors for cardiovascular disease, especially in persons older than 60. These experts compared diabetes with cardiovascular disease in that the risk of diabetics having an initial heart attack are similar to the risk of those diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, but not diabetes, having a second heart attack. Those who have both cardiovascular disease and diabetes have twice the risk of suffering a heart attack as those who have only one of these diseases. Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group (393- 403) demonstrated that patients at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes due to obesity, inactivity, and moderately elevated fasting blood glucose levels can reduce the risk of developing diabetes by 50 to 60 percent over three years through moderate changes in diet, exercise, and level of obesity. Results of a study in Sweden (Fritz & Rosenqvist, 31- 33) showed that patients, 50 years or older, with type 2 diabetes had an immediate reduction in blood glucose levels following a 30- minute bout of low- intensity walking. A previous study (Horton 196- 198) had shown that moderately intense physical activity lowers blood sugar levels, but since the Swedish health survey indicated diabetic patients exercise less than the population as a whole, Fritz and Rosenqvist, investigated a lower intensity level that most persons of all ages could manage. Jonker et al. (38- 43) reported that moderately and highly active men and women live longer and live more years free of diabetes than do sedentary people but do not spend more years with diabetes. Moderately active men and women show life expectancies without diabetes at age 50 of 2.3 years longer than for subjects with low physical activity levels. For women and men with high exercise levels, the differences were 4.2 and 4.0 years respectively. Life expectancy of moderately active men and women with diabetes was .5 and.6 years less respectively as compared with sedentary subjects, and for the highly active group the differences were .1 and .2 years respectively. Heart Disease, Stroke and Blood Pressure The Surgeon General (USDHHS, 1996) reported that the risks of heart disease mortality decrease with increased exercises and fitness. While the association between stroke and physical activity is still not clear, some researches support the assistance of regular exercise for decreasing blood pressure. In a longitudinal study by Wei et al. (1547- 1553) conducted on 25,714 men, results indicated that low cardiorespiratory fitness was an independent and strong predictor of cardiovascular disease and all- cause mortality for all body mass index groups (normal, overweight, obese). Farrell et al. (417- 423) examined the relationship of body mass index, cardiorespiratory fitness and all- cause mortality in women. Results showed that low cardiorespiratory fitness was an important predictor of all- cause mortality while moderate and high cardiorespiratory fitness were strongly associated with decreased mortality. Comparisons among the normal, overweight and obese groups were not significantly associated with all- cause mortality. In a meta- analysis to review and quantify the dose- response relationship of physical activity on the cardiovascular health of women, Oguma & Shinoda- Tagawa (407- 418) reported that physical activity was associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. It was also reported that inactive women can benefit by even slightly increasing their physical activity levels through walking one hour or less each week. Results of a study by Li et al, (188) showed that obesity and physical inactivity independently contribute to the onset of coronary heart disease in women. Li asserted that maintaining a healthy weight and regular physical activity were both important in the prevention of coronary heart disease. Cancer The 1996 Surgeon General's Report produced evidence for a protective effect of physical activity on cancer, the second leading cause of death in the U.S. While there is limited research on the protective effect of physical activity on breast cancer, one study by Courneya, Mackey, & McKenzie (33- 42) demonstrated that physical activity had a number of advantages for breast cancer patients such as improvements in immune function and depression. Pinto et al. (247) found that sedentary women who were randomly assigned to a home based, 12- week physical activity group had significant improvement in vigor and a reduction in fatigue as compared to those who were randomly assigned to the contact only, control group. Post­ treatment outcomes showed the physically active group reported significantly more total minutes of physical activity, more minutes of moderately intense physical activity, and higher energy expenditures per week than did the control group. The physically active group also out- performed controls on a field test of fitness. Pinto concluded that the intervention successfully increased physical activity levels, improved fitness, and improved psychological well- being among cancer patients. Previous studies, which examined the relationship between risk of ovarian cancer and exercise, have been inconsistent. Results of two studies substantiate this inconsistency. Pan, Ugnat and Mao (300- 307) found that physical activity reduced ovarian cancer risk in Canadian women, while Hannan et al. (765- 770) reported no overall significant relationship between ovarian cancer risk and physical activity in a cohort of 27,365 individuals. Bi & Triadafilopoulos (345- 355) reported that both light and moderate exercise was well tolerated and can benefit patients with liver disease and inflammatory bowel disease. Physical activity can also improve gastric function and lower the risk of colon cancer in most populations. Mental Health Exercises have also been shown as a useful intervention for depression and anxiety, possibly through increased societal contact, or as a diversion from every day stressors. While there was evidence of a relationship between depressive symptoms and levels of physical activity and, there was also support for increased depression in over- trained athletes, suggesting a possible curvilinear relationship. Research showed that moderate and low levels of physical activity can be beneficial both physiologically and psychologically. In a study by Kramer et al. (418- 419), healthier older adults who participated in aerobic (walking) exercise had significant improvement in cognitive processes over those who participated in strength/toning exercise alone. While the research showed an affective benefit with various types of aerobic exercise, such as running, cycling, step aerobics, swimming, and water exercise, Petruzzello et al. (143–182) reported that the mood enhancing benefit of exercise was associated only with aerobic exercise. Non- aerobic exercise showed no such benefit. In a quasi- experimental pilot study, McDevitt et al. (87- 97) findings indicated that regular, group walking may offer not only cardiovascular benefits but also improvements in psychosocial functioning for participants with severe and persistent mental illness. Conclusion and Recommendation Inactivity or a sedentary lifestyle is a major contributor to obesity and being overweight as well as to numerous other diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers, and high blood pressure. Regular exercise has many health benefits, including improvements in physical health, and reduction of risk factors for several diseases and other chronic illnesses. The literature reviewed in this study highlights that inactivity or a sedentary lifestyle is a major contributor to obesity and being overweight as well as to numerous other diseases. Increased activity and exercise, even at moderate levels, had been shown to improve health, productivity, and quality of life while also reducing illness. Due to the connection between physical inactivity and the risks for many diseases and conditions, experts in the field define physical activity as a crucial and integral part of daily life. According to the USDHHS, physical activity need not be strenuous nor be sustained for long periods to provide health benefits. People benefit from moderate exercises and physical activity, such as 30 minutes of walking five or more times per week. Also, repeated shorter bouts of moderate physical activity, such as two 15- minute or three 10- minute bouts, will also yield health benefits. Work Cited American Diabetes Association: Clinical Practice Recommendations. Position Statement on Diabetes Mellitus and Exercise. 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