Physical Fitness Reduces Chronic Disease Risk

Staying in shape may bolster the metabolic profiles of college students. In an epidemiological study, researchers found an association between physical fitness, body fat percentage and metabolic risk factors that are precursors to cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes.

Researchers tracked four biomarkers of metabolic risk — high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), triglycerides and blood glucose levels.

According to Eurekalert:

“Physical fitness appeared to have a greater impact on certain metabolic risk factors than body fat. Being fit correlated with lower triglycerides and higher HDL … healthy cholesterol in women and lower blood glucose levels in men.”

Even though more Americans are exercising, rates of obesity and smoking have not changed. A survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that obesity rates remained at around 28 percent of adults, the same as in 2008.

However, 34.7 percent claimed that they engaged in regular leisure physical activity, up from 31.9 percent in 2008.

Reuters reports:

“Health experts and the U.S. government both recommend getting daily exercise — about an hour a day of moderate exercise for most adults — to keep weight off and prevent heart disease, diabetes and cancer.”

Keeping Fit Decreases Your Chronic Disease Risk

EurekAlert reports:

“Although cardiovascular disease and diabetes often surface much later in life, our results tell us that men and women in late adolescence and early adulthood are already showing chronic disease risk, but that keeping fit may help reduce this risk,” says senior author Jennifer M. Sacheck, PhD, assistant professor at the Friedman School.

“Certain metabolic risk factors were closer to recommended levels in both male and female students whom we classified as fit, even if their body fat percentages were higher than desirable.”

Your body is designed to operate best when it’s at an ideal weight, which will vary slightly from person to person. However, carrying around extra pounds will inevitably increase your risk of developing just about every chronic degenerative disease there is, so the idea that you can be significantly overweight and still be in ‘optimal health’ is a deceptive one.

That said, obesity itself is not the underlying cause of any health problem, it’s just another symptom.

Most often, the underlying cause of excess weight is an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise, which leads to surging insulin (and leptin) levels that eventually results in insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance is one of the primary causes of a large number of chronic disease states, which is why diet and exercise are such a powerful combination for achieving optimal health.

By improving your physical fitness, you can effectively:

-Normalize your insulin levels
-Lower your triglyceride levels
-Increase your levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL)
-Lower your blood glucose levels