New research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology led by Massachusetts General Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham Healthcare System indicates that physical activity lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease, in part, by reducing stress-related signaling in the brain, finding that those with stress-related conditions such as depression experienced the most cardiovascular benefits from physical activity.
The researchers analyzed medical records and other information from 50,359 participants enrolled in the Mass General Brigham Biobank who completed a physical activity survey, and a subset of 774 participants who underwent brain imaging, tests, and measurements of stress-related brain activity to assess the mechanisms underlying the psychological and cardiovascular disease (CVD) benefits of physical activity.
