Active, middle-aged men who can complete more than 40 push-ups at a time had a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes compared to those who did less than 10 push-ups, says a new study. In addition, push-up capacity was more strongly associated with lower incidence of cardiovascular disease events than was aerobic capacity as estimated by a submaximal treadmill exercise test. For the study, the researchers from Harvard University analysed health data from 1,104 active male firefighters whose mean age was 39.6. “Our findings provide evidence that push-up capacity could be an easy, no-cost method to help assess cardiovascular disease risk in almost any setting,” said lead author Justin Yang at the Harvard T.H. The results are not generalisable to women, men of other ages or who are less active, the researchers noted.

Source: Hindustan Times February 18, 2019 03:56 UTC