Exercise might work just as well or better than drugs for people with coronary heart disease or recovering from a stroke, according to a review of evidence published Wednesday.
The scientists looked at the outcomes of 305 previous trials with 339,274 participants to try to determine whether physical activity was as effective as drugs at preventing death among people with four conditions: coronary heart disease, rehabilitation from stroke, treatment for heart failure and prevention of diabetes.
There was no difference between exercise and drug interventions for the people with coronary heart disease and for the prevention of diabetes. Exercise was more effective than drugs for recovery from stroke. And drugs, specifically diuretics, were more effective for treatment of heart failure.
Exercise should be considered as "viable alternative to, or alongside, drug therapy," the researchers said.
The exercise in the research generally took place in structured rehabilitation programs to which patients had been referred by their doctors, said Huseyin Naci, an author of the study who is a fellow at the Harvard Medical School and a researcher at the London School of Economics. The patient's condition would vary, he said, adding that for people with a prediabetic condition, an exercise program might be more informal.
-- wire report
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Exercise works as well as drugs for some ailments