Heart disease (CVD) is the number cause of death and disability around the world. But, even with heart disease, exercise can help a lot. A study in the Journal of the American Heart Association looks at the relationship between exercise and heart disease, outcomes and quality of life. It demonstrates the value of exercise by showing that exercise is associated with fewer visits to the hospital for people with and without heart disease.
Researchers studied 26,239 people. Almost half of them exercised for at least 30 minutes five days a week or more. It has been found that 150 minutes of exercise a week reduces the risk of death. Researchers in this study found that people with and without heart disease who exercised at least 30 minutes for five-seven days a week saved the health care system thousands of dollars; they spent less on health care and used fewer health care services–than those who exercised less.
Put differently, people surveyed with heart disease who exercised at least 150 minutes a week visited the emergency room less frequently (24% vs 31%) and had fewer hospital visits (21% vs 27%) than people with heart disease who did not exercise as much. People without heart disease and who exercised at least 150 minutes a week had the fewest visits to emergency rooms (9.1%) and hospitals (2.6%).
Translated into proportional dollars saved, health care spending for people with heart disease who exercised at least 150 minutes a week was 20% less than spending on people with heart disease who did not exercise as much. And, health care spending for people without heart disease but poor cardiovascular modifiable risk factors who exercised at least 150 minutes a week was half as much as people with heart disease who did not exercise as much.
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