NEW DELHI: Physical activity lowers the risk of developing heart disease by reducing stress-induced brain activity, a new study has found.

A study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that stress-related brain activity was reduced in people who were more physically active.

Researchers believe that this stress-related decrease in brain activity is caused by an “enhanced functioning” of the prefrontal cortex (an area that helps us make decisions and adopt goal-directed behavior), which suppresses the brain’s stress centers. I discovered something that I am known for. brain.

The researchers also found that the cardiovascular benefits of exercise were “substantially” greater in participants who would be expected to experience more stress-related brain activity, such as those with depression.

“Physical activity was about twice as effective at lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with depression. Stress-related effects on brain activity may explain this new observation.” said senior author Ahmed Tawakol, a researcher and cardiologist at Harvard Medical’s Massachusetts General Hospital. School, America.

For the study, researchers analyzed the medical records of more than 50,000 participants who completed surveys about physical activity. The research team used data from the Mass General Brigham Biobank, a research program designed to understand how people’s genes, lifestyle, and environment influence their health. .

Of the 50,000 participants, more than 700 also underwent brain imaging tests and measurements of stress-related brain activity.

Over a typical 10-year follow-up period, researchers found that about 13 percent of participants developed cardiovascular disease.

Participants who met physical activity recommendations were found to have a 23% lower risk of developing heart and related diseases compared to participants who did not meet these recommendations.

“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 this may have significant cardiovascular benefits for patients with the syndrome,” Tawakol said.