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WEDNESDAY, July 16, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- Exercise can counteract the genetic risk of stiff arteries, says a new study of healthy female twins.
A report on the findings appears in the July 16 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Artery stiffness is measured using something called the augmentation index. This is the first study to separate lifestyle, physical factors and genetic influences on the augmentation index, which has been shown to predict heart disease risk and death.
By using twins in their study, the researchers were able to exclude genetic effects when they were investigating the association between arterial stiffness and lifestyle factors. The use of twins also let the researchers determine the different effect that a specific lifestyle variable had on people with different genetic risks.
The study included 53 pairs of identical twins, 262 pairs of fraternal twins and 54 singletons whose twin was excluded from the study or had incomplete data.
To calculate the augmentation index in each study subject, the researchers measured pressure waveforms in arteries in the arms. The twins were also weighed and measured to determine their body mass indexes and body shapes.
The study found that being fat around the waist ("apple shape") was associated with a higher augmentation index compared to being fat mostly below the waist ("pear shape").
"For the first time, the results of the study provide a direct link between accumulation of fat in the abdominal region (measured accurately by a body fat scan) and arterial stiffness, a known measure of heart disease risk and death. The study also demonstrates higher arterial stiffness in smokers and lower stiffness in high genetic risk individuals who exercise regularly," study author Jerry R. Greenfield says in a news release.
That means that, if they engage in regular physical activity, even women with a genetic predisposition to arterial stiffness can reduce their augmentation index levels down to that of women with low genetic risk of arterial stiffness.
More information
Here's where you can learn more about arteries and the heart.
