Nigerians have been advised to engage in regular exercise as a means of
preventing risk factors of coronary heart disease that now kills people
in large numbers worldwide.
Dr. Funmi Akinloye, who made the appeal at a recent screening for the
detection of hypertension organised by Nigerian Heart Foundation in
Lagos, as part of activities marking the World Health Day noted that
researches are still trying to find out exactly why physical activity
plays such an important part in preventing coronary heart disease, but
said that physical activity helps to lower high blood pressure and
prevents it from occurring.
Akinloye who revealed that high blood pressure is one of the major risk
factors for coronary heart disease, explained that regular, moderate
rhythmic exercise, such as walking, cycling or dancing help to reduce
blood pressure in people with the condition.
According to her, regular physical activity plays important role in
achieving or keeping to healthy weight. ‘’The amount of activity you do
is as important as the food you eat. This is because the exercise you do
is as important as the food you eat. This means balancing the energy
taken into your body (the calories in your food and drink) with the
energy you use up (through activity), she noted.
People who are overweight according to her, are more likely to have
high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol levels and so have a
greater risk of coronary heart disease. she also noted that physical
activity helps with diabetes, stressing that if one already has
diabetes, physical activity can help to control it.
‘’Physical activity can also help prevent people from getting diabetes,
which is very important because men who have diabetes are about three
times more likely to get coronary heart disease than those without
diabetes and women with diabetes are about four times more likely to get
the disease,’’ she stressed.
Exercise according to her helps to prevent blood clotting as it helps
to raise the protective cholesterol, but however warned that it is
important to increase physical exercise gradually.
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