Recently we read some headlines questioning whether aerobic activity is actually the best way to protect against heart disease.

We were intrigued.

Then, some media outlets threw up headlines saying static exercises (strength training) is actually best for reducing heart disease risk when compared to dynamic exercises (like cycling and walking).

Now we were downright perplexed.

We immediately assumed that the media had misinterpreted somebody’s research and published headline catching, click baiting hyperbole, as this is often the case with medical research.

Obviously this can’t be true right? Strength training better then aerobic training for your heart? Is this the medical equivalent of Fake news?

Turns out both of the above are kind of right. Strength training MAY in fact be better…..and the media certainly ‘trumped up’ (sorry) some ‘research’ to create headlines.

When we actually looked for the source of information for this news and saw the American College of Cardiology (ACC), we expected a great research paper. It turns out the actual paper has not yet been published. The findings were from a presentation at the ACC’s Latin America Conference in Lima Peru. Now this doesn’t mean that the findings aren’t based on great research….it just means that the research isn’t yet available to read and critique as it hasn’t been published.

So what pertinent information was actually presented? It can be summarized below:

• BOTH strength training and aerobic activity are heart healthy…..even in small amounts across the entire population.
• Static activity (strength training) appeared to be more beneficial than dynamic (aerobic) activity.
• People who did both types of physical activity fared better than those who simply increased the level of either strength training or aerobic in isolation.
• Just 36% of adults aged 21-44 and 25% of adults over 45 years engage in strength training (surprising to us!)
• Just 28% of adults aged 21-44 and 21% of adults over 45 years engage in aerobic activity.
• Engaging in EITHER TYPE OF ACTIVITY was associated with 30-70% lower rates of cardiovascular disease risk factors
• The highest association for decreased risk was for strength training and in the younger cohort.

Ok. So saying that strength is clearly better is a bit of an overstatement in our opinion. It is difficult currently to find details on the study. They looked at 4086 Americans specifically in 2005-2006 based on self-report from a health and nutrition exam survey. They did adjust for certain features that clearly affect cardiovascular health (age, ethnicity, gender, and smoking) but that’s about all the information we have right now. They related the amount of self reported type of exercise to cardiovascular risk factors like high blood pressure, being overweight, having diabetes and having high cholesterol.

That leaves us with a TON of questions. Essentially the media only picked up on the fact that the best association seemed to be with strength training and being young…..no kidding. How about some of the other findings from this very limited information such as:

• Older folks (>45) work out nearly as much as younger folks whether you look at strength or aerobics. This is AMAZING! It also tells us that we can tell our more mature patients to not be intimidated by starting a gym program and cite the fact that just as many people in their age demographic are using the gym as those much younger. Awesome!
• Americans (and likely Canadians as well) suck for physical activity. Less then 1/3^rd for either strength or cardio? Really? We must do better.
• For folks that HATE cardio (and we see a ton!), this article, whenever it actually comes out, will likely provide proof that just doing their strength training is protective against heart disease. Again…awesome!

Lastly, this study was based on a relatively small population (4086 Americans who filled out a survey in 2005-2006). The fact it was based on a self reported survey as opposed to actual monitoring could lead to all kinds of inconsistencies (People tend to overestimate the amount they exercise when asked). Still, it’s a very interesting presentation and we will definitely update everyone once the actual article comes out.