Friday, October 11, 2013

Exercise vs Drugs: Which is Better?

When I was growing up, I loved watching movies like King Kong vs Godzilla.  Half a century later, we now have the analogous comparative effectiveness study to determine which therapeutic option, given a choice, is better.  For instance, is exercise better than drug therapy?  It turns out that in a meta-analysis published last week in the British Medical Journal, the authors concluded that exercise is just as good as many drug regimens in secondary prevention of heart disease, stroke rehabilitation, heart failure & diabetes.

The authors evaluated 16 meta-analyses, of 305 randomized controlled trials involving 339,274 participants, which demonstrated equivalent mortality benefits compared to traditional medications.  This isn't to say that we should just throw our medications down the toilet but rather to focus on lifestyle issues followed then by drugs but only if necessary.  Lifestyle is key!



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