(Relaxnews) – A new study announced Tuesday supports hitting
your gym’s weight room, finding that people who pump iron are
less likely to have risk factors linked to heart disease and
diabetes. Researchers from Brooks College of Health, University
of North Florida analyzed data from the 1999-2004 National
Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), an ongoing
study of health risks in the US. The team found that from a pool
of 5,618 subjects, 8.8 percent answered yes to questions about
lifting weights, with men twice as likely to lift weights as
women. Also younger people lifted weights more than people aged
50 years or older. Researchers then measured for metabolic
syndrome, a cluster of risk factors for heart disease and
diabetes such as large waist circumference, high triglyceride
levels, reduced levels of HDL or “good” cholesterol, elevated
blood pressure and high glucose levels. Lifting weights was
linked with a 37 percent reduction in the odds of metabolic
syndrome, the researchers stated. “Exercis