Importance of daily physical activity in cancer and cardiovascular diseases

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. In Japan, cancer is the first cause of death, and cardiovascular diseases are the second. Both of cancer and cardiovascular diseases are related with high-risk lifestyle factors, such as smoking, obesity, low physical activities, and unhealthy food intake, which oppositely means that healthy lifestyle is associated with a longer life expectancy free of major chronic diseases, including cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, healthy lifestyle should be associated with primary and secondary prevention in both cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

It has been demonstrated that physical activity is associated with low mortality in the elderly and that long-term regular physical activity, including walking, was associated with better cognitive function and less cognitive decline in elderly women, probably because the retired elderly might have time to do exercise and may have a strong awareness of their health. Recently, we have demonstrated that physical activity is associated with all-cause death including cardiovascular events and cancer in general population, including middle-aged subjects. Further, longer occupational sitting time is associated with increased mortality.

However, physical activity is often impaired during cardiovascular progression, such as in acute phase of heart failure. We have recently reported that the intervention of cardiac rehabilitation in the acute phase of cardiovascular diseases were able to improve wait bearing index, indicating that the seamless cardiac rehabilitation is important. Further, even in severe aortic valve stenosis, bodyweight resistance exercise training program was safe and effective, which should be performed before surgical therapy to prevent sarcopenia. The bodyweight resistance exercise training program improved activities of daily living in symptomatic severe aortic valve stenosis patients.  

Here, we will discuss about the importance of the physical activities in daily lives in cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

Cardiovascular diseases and sarcopenia

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, and the secondary prevention is important, as well as the primary prevention. Cardiovascular diseases are related with high-risk lifestyle factors, such as smoking, obesity, low physical activities, and unhealthy food intake, which oppositely means that healthy lifestyle is associated with a longer life expectancy free of major chronic diseases. Therefore, healthy lifestyle should be associated with primary and secondary prevention in cardiovascular diseases.

Although it has been demonstrated that high physical activity is associated with low mortality in patients with cardiovascular diseases, the presence of sarcopenia is a big problem, which is closely related with the low physical activities in cardiovascular diseases. Recently, we have demonstrated that the prevalence of sarcopenia was higher in patients with cardiovascular diseases than community-dwelling adults, and that sarcopenia in the cardiovascular diseases patients was present even in a younger population as compared with sarcopenia in the community-dwelling adults. The prevalence odds ratio of sarcopenia in the cardiovascular diseases patients was higher in females than males.

Therefore, the exercise training is necessary in cardiovascular diseases patients. We have demonstrated that sarcopenia was identified more than a quarter of hospitalized patients with cardiovascular diseases, which was noted in those with symptomatic chronic heart diseases (stage C+D) and chronic kidney diseases. Protein was the most important nutrient for skeletal muscle mass, and increased muscle strength and gait speed in patients with sarcopenia were obtained after exercise training. Thus, comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation, including nutrition, physical exercise and effective medication, should be effective in the prevention and treatment of sarcopenia in patients with cardiovascular diseases. Further, we use the hybrid training system in daily clinical practice, which is a a special and compact system for effective skeletal muscle training by a combined application of volitional and electrical muscle contraction.

Here, we will discuss about the importance of sarcopenia treatment in cardiovascular diseases as a secondary prevention.