Important points

• Results of a new study show that physical activity may help prevent cardiovascular disease by reducing stress-related brain activity
• This effect in the brain may help explain why study participants with depression (a stress-related disease) experienced the greatest cardiovascular benefits from physical activity.

BOSTON – A new study shows that physical activity lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease by decreasing stress-related signaling in the brain.

Led by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) The study, published in an academic journal, found that people with stress-related illnesses such as depression derive most of their cardiovascular benefits from physical activity.

To assess the mechanisms underlying the psychological and cardiovascular disease benefits of physical activity, Dr. Ahmed Tawakol, a researcher and cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center, and his colleagues The medical records and other information of 50,359 participants were analyzed. General Brigham His Biobank completed a physical activity survey.

A subset of 774 participants also underwent brain imaging and measurements of stress-related brain activity.

At a median follow-up of 10 years, 12.9% of participants developed cardiovascular disease. Participants who met physical activity recommendations had a 23% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease compared to participants who did not meet recommendations.

People with higher levels of physical activity also tended to have lower stress-related brain activity. Remarkably, the stress-related decrease in brain activity was caused by increased function in the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain involved in executive function (i.e., decision making, impulse control) and is known to suppress the brain’s stress centers. The analysis took into account other lifestyle variables and risk factors for coronary artery disease.

Additionally, stress-related reductions in brain signaling partially explain the cardiovascular effects of physical activity.

As an extension of this finding, researchers found that in a cohort of 50,359 participants, exercise-induced cardiovascular found that the effect was significantly large.

“Physical activity was approximately twice as effective in reducing cardiovascular disease risk in patients with depression. Stress-related effects on brain activity may explain this new observation.” said Tawakol, senior author of the study.

“Prospective studies are needed to identify potential mediators and prove causality. In the meantime, clinicians need to know that physical activity has important effects on the brain and that stress-related symptoms such as depression We may be able to tell patients that there may be greater cardiovascular benefits for those with the syndrome.”

author:

Hadir Zureigat, MD. Michael T. Osborne, MD; Shady Abohahem, MD. Dr. Kenechukwu Mezue. Charbel Gallios, MD. Simran Grewal, DO; Alex Caldeiro. Nikki Nadav. Giovanni Sivieri, MD. Dr. Taimur Abbasi, Azhar Radfar, Maryland. Wessam Aldosokhi, MD, Antonia V. Seligowski, MD, Megan M. Wafi, MD, and James Sawala-Guse, MD. Timothy W. Churchill, MD. Rachel P. Rosofsky, MD. Dr. Zahi Fayad. Anthony Rosenzweig, MD. Aaron Baggish, MD. Roger K. Pittman, MD. Dr. Carmel W. Choi. Jordan Smaller, MD. and Dr. Lisa M. Singh.

Funding:

This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

About Massachusetts General Hospital

Massachusetts General Hospital, founded in 1811, is the largest teaching hospital and the precursor to Harvard Medical School. The Mass General Research Institute conducts the nation’s largest hospital-based research program with more than $1 billion in annual research operations, and his 9,500+ researchers across more than 30 institutes, centers, and departments. It is made up of people. MGH is a founding member of the Mass General Brigham Health System.