To conduct the study, lead author Ahmed Tawakol, MD, and his team examined the medical records of more than 50,000 patients at the Massachusetts General Brigham Biobank who participated in a survey on physical activity.

Of these people, 774 also had brain imaging tests and measurements of stress-related brain activity.

Median follow-up was 10 years. During this period, 12.9% of people developed cardiovascular disease.

However, those who met physical activity recommendations had a 23% lower risk of these diseases.

People who did the recommended amount of physical activity also had lower stress-related brain activity.

The authors note that these reductions are primarily due to improved functioning of the prefrontal cortex, the area of ​​the brain responsible for decision-making and impulse control. It is also known to regulate our response to stress.

Additionally, reduced stress-related brain signaling partially explains how physical activity benefits the cardiovascular system.

An additional finding reported by the research team was that physical activity was approximately twice as effective at reducing cardiovascular risk in people with a history of depression.

“Stress-related effects on brain activity may explain this new observation,” Tawakol said in a press release.

However, he noted that more research is needed to prove a causal relationship.

Dr. John Higgins, a sports cardiologist at UT Health Houston who was not involved in the study, explained the findings: [the] It worsens the arterial system by increasing blood pressure and heart rate, damaging the lining of blood vessels over time, increasing inflammation, and damaging the immune system. ”

Higgins said all of this contributes to increased cardiovascular risk and higher rates of coronary artery disease, including heart attack, heart failure, cerebrovascular disease (stroke), and other vascular diseases such as peripheral artery disease and carotid artery disease. There is a possibility of a connection.

“Physical activity can help ameliorate/reverse these effects and promote health and wellness by reducing stress factors on increased CV risk factors,” he said.

Starting an intense exercise program can be “daunting,” said Dr. Karishma Patwa, a member of the Manhattan Department of Cardiology in New York City and a contributor to LabFinder.

The goal is to do 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise each week, she added.

moderate intensity exercise It’s an exercise that gets your heart beating faster and makes you sweat.

“Running, jogging, walking uphill, and swimming are all great ways to get your heart pumping,” says Patois.

Patois recommends starting slow and working your way up to 150 minutes.

Higgins says the easiest way for most people to start is to just walk.

“[I]It’s safe, easily accessible and relatively inexpensive in terms of equipment,” he said. “Try to do some exercise most days of the week.”

“Aerobic exercise that is particularly helpful for obese adults includes walking at speeds of 4.5 mph or faster, bicycling, jogging, treadmill walking, swimming, aquabics, rowing, and low-impact aerobics classes.” added Higgins.

A new study finds that engaging in recommended amounts of physical activity is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

The effect was even greater in people who already had depression. The risk of cardiovascular disease was reduced by almost 2 times.

The researchers said this reduced risk was associated with lower levels of stress-related brain activity in the prefrontal cortex.

Stress has several negative effects that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Physical activity can help lower your risk of cardiovascular disease by reducing stress-related brain activity.

The easiest way to start an exercise program is to walk. You can then continue with moderate-intensity exercise, such as running, swimming, or cycling, up to the recommended 150 minutes per week.