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Exercise
Flexes Arteries
Exercise can counteract the genetic risk of stiff arteries,
says a new study of healthy female twins.
Artery stiffness is measured using something called the
augmentation index. This is the first study to separate
lifestyle, physical factors and genetic influences on the
augmentation index, which has been shown to predict heart
disease risk and death.
By using twins in their study, the researchers were able
to exclude genetic effects when they were investigating
the association between arterial stiffness and lifestyle
factors. The use of twins also let the researchers determine
the different effect that a specific lifestyle variable
had on people with different genetic risks.
The study included 53 pairs of identical twins, 262 pairs
of fraternal twins and 54 singletons whose twin was excluded
from the study or had incomplete data.
To calculate the augmentation index in each study subject,
the researchers measured pressure waveforms in arteries
in the arms. The twins were also weighed and measured to
determine their body mass indexes and body shapes.
The study found that being fat around the waist ("apple
shape") was associated with a higher augmentation index
compared to being fat mostly below the waist ("pear
shape").
"For the first time, the results of the study provide
a direct link between accumulation of fat in the abdominal
region (measured accurately by a body fat scan) and arterial
stiffness, a known measure of heart disease risk and death.
The study also demonstrates higher arterial stiffness in
smokers and lower stiffness in high genetic risk individuals
who exercise regularly," study author Jerry R. Greenfield
says in a news release.
That means that, if they engage in regular physical activity,
even women with a genetic predisposition to arterial stiffness
can reduce their augmentation index levels down to that
of women with low genetic risk of arterial stiffness.
Article Source: HealthDay
Article Author: N/A
Net Reference 101
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