A new study found that exercise might be more effective than prescription drugs when it comes to lowering death risks for patients suffering from coronary heart disease, stroke complications, and pre-diabetes.
Although researchers stated that there were a limited number of randomized controlled studies on exercise benefits to draw from, they were encouraged by their findings.
“Evidence from randomized controlled trials on the mortality benefits of exercise is scarce,” the authors write. “Even in treatment areas where such evidence exists, exercise trials evaluating mortality outcomes were at a disadvantage in two ways: considerably fewer trials evaluated exercise than drugs…and fewer people participated in exercise trials.”
Despite the “lacking” number of studies on exercise, researchers believe their findings show similar if not improved health ratings when a patient exercised compared to when they took preventative medication.
Results
Researchers compared numerous studies that attempted to isolate the benefits of certain preventative methods aimed at reducing mortality rates. They found:
- Exercise was more effective at preventing death than drug treatment options for stroke patients.
- No detectable differences in mortality rates between exercise and drug interventions in the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease.
- No detectable differences in mortality rates between exercise and drug interventions in pre-diabetics.
- Certain drugs were better than exercise at preventing mortality after heart failure.
Researchers hope their findings lead to more studies on the benefits of exercise and stronger regulations against drug companies who may be misleading their consumers.
“Given the scarcity of financial resources to fund future trials of exercise interventions, one option would be to require such evidence from pharmaceutical companies,” the authors write. “In cases where drug options provide only modest benefit, patients deserve to understand the relative impact that physical activity might have on their condition.”
Dr. Silverman comments
Everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY, can benefit from exercise. It helps control your weight, boosts your energy, and can help prevent certain health conditions, like diabetes or hypertension.
I commend these authors for their research, and I wish more people would take their findings to heart. Many want to pop a magical pill and sit in front of their TV, when in actuality, they should get off their butt and go for a walk.
Related source: Medscape, British Medical Journal