Exercise Prescriptions: Working Out as Medicine
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Our muscles and fat cells aren't silent bystanders that bulk up or break down in an endless tug of war between food and exercise. They make messenger chemicals that go to parts of the body both near and far. They can turn on and off thousands of genes, raise or lower inflammation, and rev up or slow down metabolism. Physical activity does much more than just strengthen muscles. Moving your body prevents blood vessels from getting damaged and clogged. That helps prevent heart attacks, strokes, and even some types of dementia.
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@taniya Exercise is as good as medication at preventing diabetes and heart disease in at-risk people. And for stroke recovery, exercise is more effective than drugs. Researchers learned this by analyzing data from more than 300 randomized, controlled trials, the gold standard for studies. Chronic conditions not only kill in the long run, they also make death more likely in the short term. COVID-19 made that painfully clear. Again, exercise might help here, too. In one study, researchers checked the activity level of nearly 50,000 people who later got COVID-19. Those who were consistently active were less likely than inactive people to be hospitalized or die of COVID-19.