“Eating a Healthy Diet is equivalent to walking 4,000 Steps per Day: Study by Harvard University’s Beth Israel Deaconis Medical Center”

Research has shown that eating well-chosen foods can produce health effects equivalent to walking quite a bit a day.

According to a study conducted by Harvard University’s Beth Israel Deaconis Medical Center, middle-aged men and women who choose healthy foods and eat them in appropriate amounts improve their stamina, and the effect is equivalent to walking 4,000 steps a day.

The research team investigated whether a healthy diet was related to physical fitness in community-dwelling adults. The study included 2380 local residents who participated in the Framingham Heart Study. The mean age was 54 years and 54% were female.

They underwent a cardiorespiratory exercise test on a cycle ergometer to measure their VO2 max. Maximal oxygen uptake is the amount of oxygen used during exercise at the highest intensity.

The research team asked participants to complete a Harvard semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire to evaluate their overall intake of 126 food items over the past year. They also used this information to rate diet quality using the Heart Health Alternative Health Index (AHEI, 0-110) and the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS, 0-25).

Higher scores on these two points mean a better diet, including eating vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, legumes, fish and healthy fats, and limiting red meat and alcohol.

After controlling for other factors that could have an effect, such as age, sex, total daily energy intake, body mass index, smoking status, cholesterol level, blood pressure, diabetes, and level of daily physical activity, the research team found an association between diet quality and health. Evaluated.

The average health alternatives index (AHEI) was 66.7, and the average Mediterranean diet score (MDS) was 12.2. Compared to the average score, a 13-point increase in AHEI was associated with a 5.2% increase in maximal oxygen intake, and a 4.7-point increase in MDS was associated with a 4.5% increase in maximal oxygen intake.

Even taking habitual activity levels into account, middle-aged adults who maintain a healthy diet significantly increase their peak oxygen uptake. These positive associations were similar for women and men, and were even more pronounced in those younger than 54 years of age. A healthy diet was analyzed to be equivalent to walking up to 4,000 steps a day, the researchers said.

Separately, the research team measured 201 metabolites, including amino acids, in blood samples from 1,154 participants and found that healthy eating habits are closely related to metabolic improvement. Eating habits can be a great way to increase stamina and athletic performance.

Dr. Michael Mi (Cardiovascular Medicine), lead author of the study, emphasized, “The starting point for health is to eat enough good food, such as a Mediterranean diet made of fresh and whole foods, and to limit processed foods, red meat, and alcohol.”

The results of this study (Association of healthy dietary patterns and cardiorespiratory fitness in the community) were published in the ≪European Journal of Preventive Cardiology≫.