Can t walk thousands of steps a day? Research suggests that the effect of eating this way may be similar to taking 4,000 more steps.

【The focus of this article】New research points out that healthy eating can improve body quality and be closely related to sports. Research used alternative tests to quantify the correlation between cardiopulmonary fitness and healthy diet, and found that the degree of physical improvement of those with better diet was similar to the effect of taking 4,000 steps more per day. It should be noted that this observational study does not prove that eating well will lead to better health or exclude reverse relations. --by ChatGPT

For many people, taking enough steps a day is part of a healthy life, but now you may be able to help with the results achieved by eating food.

According to a new study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, healthy diets are related to better physical qualities in middle-aged people. Dr. Michael Mi of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, one of the study authors, said researchers observed in participants with better eating conditions that their health improvement was similar to the effect of taking 4,000 extra steps a day.

Dr. Christopher Tanayan, director of sports cardiac disease at Lenox Hill Hospital in the United States, told healthline that the study of the most accurate quantification of a person's cardiorespiratory fitness and healthy diet through quota tests, which may be the most object-oriented way to establish the relationship between diet and cardiorespiratory health.

What is the cardiopulmonary function?

The cardiopulmonary function is one of the powerful predictive indicators for longevity and health. It can reflect the ability of human body to provide and utilize oxygen during movement, and integrates the health status of multiple organ systems such as the heart, lungs, blood vessels, and muscles. Although exercise can increase cardiopulmonary health, there are differences in health status among people with the same amount of exercise, indicating that other factors are at play. This study wanted to explore whether rich diets are related to physical activities.

The study included 2380 people, with an average age of 54 years old. Participants conducted cardiopulmonary exercise tests on a cycle ergometer to measure peak VO2, which is the maximum oxygen consumption that can be achieved during the exercise period.

Participants also completed the Harvard Semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (SFFQ) to evaluate the 126 diet items and frequency rates they have taken over the past year. The researchers evaluated the dietary quality of participants by using the Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI; 0 to 110) and Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS; 0 to 25), both of which were related to heart health. Higher scores indicate better dietary quality, such as focal vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fruits, beans, fish and healthy fats, limiting red meat and alcohol.

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