It’s common knowledge that exercise is good for your mental health and your heart health — and now a new study suggests that all three are working together.
In addition to the physical benefits of exercise, it’s also associated with a reduction in stress signals in the brain, which leads to a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, according to the study.
Researchers analyzed data of more than 50,000 adults around age 60 from the Mass General Brigham Biobank, according to the study published Monday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
The study looked at a survey that participants were given about their physical activity, imaging of their brains to track activity related to stress, and digital records of cardiovascular events.
“Individuals who exercise more had a graded reduction in stress related signals in the brain,” said lead study author Dr. Ahmed Tawakol, a cardiologist at Mass General Hospital and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
“We found nice associations that exercise appeared to, in part, reduce heart disease risks by decreasing stress-related signals,” he added.
Everyone should pay attention whenever studies come out that show this kind of improvement resulting from a change in lifestyle, said Dr. Andrew Freeman, director of cardiovascular prevention and wellness at National Jewish Health in Denver. Freeman was not involved in this study.
“These are incredibly cost effective, the magnitude of improvements are amazing — often better than many medications — and we should be putting these tools in our arsenal for ready use,” he said.
