Exercise/blood clots

[Guest guest]

More good info. xo Donna

http://my.webmd.com/content/Article/64/72430.htm?printing=true

Original article:

http://my.webmd.com/content/Article/64/72430.htm

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Exercise Can Help Dissolve Blood Clots

For Obese People, Regular Walking Fights Clot Formation

By Jeanie Lerche

WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD

on Thursday, May 08, 2003

May 8, 2003 -- Among overweight people, life-threatening blood clots are common.

But exercise can help dissolve blood clots.

That's the finding from a new study, presented at an American Heart Association

meeting this week.

Obese people are at an increased risk of blood clots and diseases such as

stroke. This study helps explain why these complications are occurring in obese

people and that simply exercising may help dissolve blood clots.

In the study, Colorado investigators looked at 36 sedentary men, all about 60

years old -- 12 of whom were lean and 24 obese. Researchers measured the amounts

of a critical blood clot dissolver called tissue-type plasminogen activator

(t-PA). The overweight men had " significantly blunted " levels of t-PA -- 30%

less than the lean men.

However, once the men got active -- three months of walking about 45 minutes a

day, five days a week -- 10 of the obese men had a 50% higher release of blood

clot-dissolving t-PA. In fact, exercise raised their levels similar to those of

the lean men.

Regular aerobic exercise helps reverse blood clot formation, concludes lead

researcher T. , with the University of Colorado Health Sciences

Center.

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SOURCES: American Heart Association's 4th Annual Conference on Arteriosclerosis,

Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, Washington, D.C., May 8-10, 2003. News release,

American Heart Association.