Exercise helps stressed-out people the most

By Stephen Beech via SWNS

Stress sufferers benefit even more from regular exercise than people who don't endure mental health issues, according to a new study.

Regular physical activity had nearly double the heart health benefit in people with depression or anxiety, say scientists.

Their findings add to mounting evidence that exercise improves cardiovascular health by helping to activate parts of the brain that counteract stress.

Overall, the study found that people who achieved the recommended amount of physical activity per week were 17 percent less likely to suffer a major adverse cardiovascular event - such as a heart attack or a stroke - than those who exercised less.

The benefits were "significantly greater" in those with anxiety or depression, who had a 22 percent risk reduction, compared to a 10 per cent reduction in those without either condition, according to the findings.

Study lead author Dr. Hadil Zureigat said: "The effect of physical activity on the brain’s stress response may be particularly relevant in those with stress-related psychiatric conditions.

“This is not to suggest that exercise is only effective in those with depression or anxiety, but we found that these patients seem to derive a greater cardiovascular benefit from physical activity.”

The research team analyzed health records of more than 50,000 patients in the Massachusetts General Brigham Biobank database.

Just over 4,000 of the patients had suffered a major adverse cardiovascular event, which included heart attacks, chest pain caused by a blocked artery or undergoing a procedure to open a blocked heart artery.

The team first assessed the rates of major coronary events among patients who reported that they exercise at least 500 metabolic equivalent (MET) minutes per week, aligning with guideline recommendations of at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week.

MET-minutes are a unit of exercise that represents the amount of energy expended during various activities.

The analysis revealed that people who got at least 500 MET-minutes or more per week were 17 percent less likely to suffer an adverse cardiovascular event.

They then analyzed how that pattern played out among patients who had a diagnosis of depression or anxiety compared with those who did not have depression or anxiety.

The second analysis revealed that patients with depression derived more than double the benefit from exercise in terms of reduced cardiovascular risk compared with people who did not have depression. A similar benefit of exercise was found for patients with anxiety.

The research expands on previous studies by the same team that used brain imaging to determine how exercise improves cardiovascular health by helping to keep the brain’s stress response in check.

People with depression or anxiety have higher stress-related neural activity and a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Zureigat, a postdoctoral clinical research fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital, said: “When one thinks about physical activity decreasing cardiovascular risk, one doesn’t usually think of the brain.

“Our research emphasises the importance of the stress-related neural mechanisms by which physical activity acts to reduce cardiovascular risk.”

The team noted that previous studies showed people can reduce their heart disease risk even if they do not achieve the recommended amount of physical activity.

They said even a "little bit" of regular physical activity can make a difference in terms of cardiovascular risk.

Rates of both depression and anxiety have risen during the COVID-19 pandemic, and heart disease remains a leading cause of death.

The researchers say their findings underline the important role of exercise in maintaining heart health and reducing stress, according to the researchers.

Dr. Zureigat added: “Any amount of exercise is helpful, particularly for those with depression or anxiety.

“Not only will physical activity help them feel better, but they will also potently reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease.

It can be hard to make the transition, but once achieved, physical activity allows those with these common chronic stress-related psychiatric conditions to hit two birds with one stone.”

Dr. Zureigat is due to present the findings at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session in Washington DC next month.