Cardiovascular diseases have now become one of the leading causes of death globally. The World Health Organization estimates that about 17.9 million people die each year due to Cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, four of five Cardiovascular death occur due to heart attacks and strokes and about one-third of these deaths occur prematurely, in young people or those under the age of 70. There are a number of factors that can lead to heart attacks including an unhealthy lifestyle and diet, use of harmful substances like alcohol, tobacco, and physical inactivity.
Now, research has shown that lifting weights for less than an hour per week can reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke by 40 to 70 per cent. This study was published back in 2018 by the Iowa State University Study in their Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise Journals. Here’s everything that you need to know about the research.
How can lifting weight reduce the risk of a heart attack?
To develop the study, researchers analyzed a population of 13,000 adults in the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study. “People may think they need to spend a lot of time lifting weights, but just two sets of bench presses that take less than 5 minutes could be effective,” said DC Lee, associate professor of kinesiology, who conducted the research with his colleagues. The researchers measured three health outcomes- cardiovascular events that did not result in death, the events that did result in death, and any type of death. They found that resistance exercise reduced the risk for all three outcomes.
The final result explained that lifting weights for less than an hour per week reduced the risk of stroke and heart attack by 40-70 per cent. It also added that spending more than an hour lifting weight in the gym yields no additional benefit to the estimated per cent. Moreover, the result also stated that the benefits of strength training are independent of walking, running, or performing any aerobic activity.
What are the benefits of weight lifting?
According to Mayo Clinic, there are several benefits of weight lifting including that it helps one to manage or lose weight. Weight lifting is also likely to increase a body’s metabolism thus burning up more calories. It improves a body’s ability to perform everyday activities in a better manner and also protects one’s joints from the risk of injuries.
(Disclaimer: Information presented in the article is gathered from various sources. News18 doesn’t guarantee the accuracy of the facts)
