New research sighted by YEN.com.gh suggests that men who are not able to do at least 10 push-ups everyday risk falling victim to heart attacks.
YEN.com.gh has sighted a report by the Independent of the UK which cites a new finding that says middle-aged men who cannot complete 10 push-ups at least, are at a higher risk of heart attacks or strokes.
The medical research, conducted by a Harvard University team, says being able to do more than 40 push-ups was associated with a 97% reduction in risk of cardiovascular disease over 10 years of the man's life.
Men who are able to complete between 21 and 30 push-ups have a fairly good chance of dodging conditions like coronary artery disease or heart failure.
But those who cannot manage 10 push-ups a day have a 25% bigger risk than those who can do about 20.
These exercises are expected to be done daily.
The authors of the study ware quoted as saying:“Participants able to perform 11 or more push-ups at baseline had significantly reduced risk of subsequent cardiovascular disease events."
“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."
“Surprisingly, push-up capacity was more strongly associated with cardiovascular disease risk than the results of sub-maximal treadmill tests [where subjects run while their breathing is measured].”
The study, published on Friday, April 10, 2019, used data from fitness tests of more than 1,000 firemen in the US state of Indiana who enrolled between 2000 and 2007.
It also used medical records to test cardiovascular disease diagnoses over the next decade. The men had an average age of 39-and-half-years.
While the group had an average body-mass index (BMI) of 28.7, which is considered overweight, they were all active.