This Article Full Text Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by SoRelle, R. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by SoRelle, R.

(Circulation. 2002;105:e9105.)
© 2002 American Heart Association, Inc.

Cardiovascular News

Ruth SoRelle, MPH

Circulation Newswriter

Leisure-Time Exercise Better Than Walking or Biking to Work

Perhaps in part explaining the mystery of the French conundrum, a group of French and Northern Irish researchers have found that leisure-time exercise (a form more common to the French) seems to have a greater positive cardiovascular effect than walking or cycling to work (the exercise more common to those who live in Northern Ireland).

The study, published in this week’s issue of Circulation (Circulation. 2002;105:2247–2252) and led by Aline Wagner, MD, of the Laboratoire d’Epidemiologie et de Sante Publique in Strasbourg, France, and Chantal Simon, MD, PhD, of the Groupe d’Etudes et de Recherche en Nutrition at Strasbourg, examined information from the Prospective Epidemiological Study of Myocardial Infarction (the PRIME Study) to determine the effects of activity levels and patterns on both major coronary events and angina. (The PRIME Study Group included research groups from France and the Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland. The PRIME Study consisted of 9758 men aged 50 to 59 years who were recruited between 1991 and 1993 and who had no signs of coronary heart disease. They were monitored for 5 years.)

During the follow-up period, 321 coronary events were recorded, of which 167 (106 in France, 61 in Northern Ireland) were either fatal or nonfatal myocardial infarctions or coronary deaths. There were 154 instances of angina pectoris (94 in France, 60 in Northern Ireland). The researchers found that the individuals who exercised hardest as a leisure-time activity had the lowest risk of fatal or nonfatal myocardial infarction or coronary deaths. However, . . . [Full Text of this Article]