Exercise may cut risk of metabolic syndrome even in low-risk men

NEW YORK (Reuters Health, Aug 26) - Researchers have found that middle-aged
men who get more than 3 hours of exercise each week are less likely to
develop the metabolic syndrome.

While previous reports have touted exercise's potential to reduce the
severity of type 2 diabetes or heart disease, little evidence exists on
whether physical activity prevents the metabolic syndrome that precedes these
illnesses, lead author Dr. David E. Laaksonen, from the University of Kuopio
in Finland, and colleagues note in the September issue of Diabetes Care.

To investigate, Dr. Laaksonen's team followed a group of 612 healthy men,
between the ages of 42 and 60 years, over a 4-year period. All of the men
provided information about various lifestyle habits, including how often they
exercised on a weekly basis.

At the end of the study period, 107 men were diagnosed with metabolic
syndrome. According to the report, these men had at least three of the
following findings: abdominal obesity, elevated triglycerides levels, low HDL
cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and elevated blood glucose levels.

Men who exercised more than 3 hours per week were decreased their risk of
developing the metabolic syndrome by about 50% compared with the men who
exercised no more than 60 minutes per week.

"These findings...suggest that intervention at an early phase in even
relatively low-risk men may dramatically reduce the risk for development or
progression of metabolic disturbances that eventually culminate in chronic
and progressive diseases such as diabetes" and atherosclerosis, Dr. Laaksonen
and colleagues conclude.

Diabetes Care 2002;25:1612-1618.