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Rapid Responses: Rapid Responses published:
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Does extremely vigorous exercise deserve a distinct risk stratification?
- Edoardo Cervoni (17 September 2008)
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Would the Nurses health study be able to tell us how quickly the benefits of a change in lifestyle appear?
- Anita C Roy, WF10 5LT (8 October 2008)
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Edoardo Cervoni, ENT Specialist SIAM, 70 Leyland Road, Southport, PR9 9JA
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Rob M van Dam and colleagues have defined low risk physical activity as an average of at least 30 minutes a day of activity of at least moderate intensity (requiring 3 metabolic equivalents an hour, including brisk walking), consistent with existing guidelines and reference to the work from Patt and colleagues. I do have 2 questions that I hope could find an answer in their data. The first may be seen as being slightly provocative: does regular vigorous exercise deserve allocation to a distinct risk class. In particular, may extremely vigorous exercise protracted for decades (lifestyle) have effects that could not be only positive when looking into mortality and morbidity (the latter not being assessed by your study). The second question is about diet supplement and exercise training. I do assume that some of the most active participants may have been using supplements (Vitamin C could have been one). This could have some impact, at the least theoretically, as very well known free-radicals scavenger. Have they been able to clear-up the data from this possible confounding factor? Competing interests: None declared |
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Anita C Roy, Consultant in Public Health Wakefield District PCT, WF10 5LT
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This study shows the benefit of adhering to lifestyle guidance in middle aged women. Over the time period of the study the benefits of a healthy lifestyle have become more apparent and presumably more women have adopted a healthy lifestyle. The long term follow up of doctors has given estimates for a diminishing risk of death following smoking cessation but data around change to a healthy lifestyle regarding diet and physical activity is less available. Would examining the data from the Nurses Health study be able to answer how quickly the benefits appear when lifestyle is changed? In essence how long does it take for the attributable risk take to revert to that of those who followed healthy guidelines throughout? Evidence on this would be helpful in assessing impact and outcomes to support commissioning for healthy lifestyles. anita.roy@wdpct.nhs.uk Competing interests: None declared |
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