Slash your risk of heart disease!

AHA Urges Exercise to Cut Cardiac Risk in Diabetics

(Adapted from medscape) June 10, 2009 (Dallas, Texas) — At least two and half hours per week, spread out over at least three sessions--that's the amount of moderate-intensity exercise recommended by the American Heart Association for reducing cardiovascular risk in people with type 2 diabetes, according to a scientific statement published online June 8, 2009 in Circulation.

That's 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise, 5 days a week.

If you just can't find 30 munutes 5 days a week, 30 minutes of "vigorous-intensity cardiorespiratory exercise" 3 times per week can be an alternative, but both options are considered minimums, according to the document. In addition, "moderate- to high-intensity" resistance training three times per week is highly recommended.

The document is rich with evidence from the literature to support the recommendations.

It reviews likely physiologic mechanisms by which exercise improves CV risk factors, such as improvements in insulin sensitivity and blood vessel function, as well as potential risks of exercise training. Recommendations on counseling and other strategies to help people stick with it are included. And it describes how some patients, especially the many who may start out deconditioned or are limited by comorbidities, can begin lightly and work their way up to the training goals.

References
Marwick TH, Hordern MD, Miller T, et al. Exercise training for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Impact on cardiovascular risk. A scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation 2009; DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.192521. Available at: http://circ.ahajournals.org.