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Exercise as a Treatment for the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

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Opinion statement

Regular physical activity decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease and modifies multiple cardiovascular risk factors. The optimum amount of exercise continues to generate debate; however, the general recommendation is that all adults should engage in 30 min of moderate-intensity physical activity on five, and preferably all, days of the week. Despite extensive data and recommendations, a significant proportion of the US adult population remains sedentary. Promoting physical activity at a public level remains a major challenge because of the presence of multiple behavioral, physical, and environmental barriers. Health care providers have an opportunity and a responsibility to include exercise counseling in routine office visits.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, LHRB 306 701, 19th Street South, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA

    Bilal Aijaz MD, Todd M. Brown MD, Bonnie K. Sanderson PhD, RN & Vera Bittner MD, MSPH

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  1. Bilal Aijaz MD
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  2. Todd M. Brown MD
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  3. Bonnie K. Sanderson PhD, RN
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  4. Vera Bittner MD, MSPH
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Correspondence to Bilal Aijaz MD.

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Aijaz, B., Brown, T.M., Sanderson, B.K. et al. Exercise as a Treatment for the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease. Curr Treat Options Cardio Med 12, 329–341 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11936-010-0078-5

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