A call for the better utilization of physical activity and exercise training in the defense against cardiovascular...

Statins, also known as 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors, effectively reduce elevated levels of serum LDL-C concentration and in turn lower cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Regular exercise and physical activity also have significant preventive effects against cardiovascular diseases by simultaneously reducing multiple risk factors. However, statins also produce a number of adverse events, including muscle pain, which increases dramatically in statin users who also exercise, likely limiting the cardiovascular benefits. Most importantly, reduced physical activity participation due to statin-related side effects can cancel out the benefits of the pharmacological treatment. Although exercise training offers more modest benefits compared to pharmacological therapy against traditional risk factors, considering the total impact of exercise on cardiovascular health, it is now evident that this intervention may offer a greater reduction of risks compared to statin therapy alone. However, primary recommendations regarding cardiovascular therapy still center around pharmacological approaches. Thus a new outlook is called for in clinical practice that provides room for physical activity and exercise training, thus lipid targets can be reached by a combined intervention along with improvements in other cardiovascular parameters, such as endothelial function and low-grade inflammation. Databases such as Pubmed and Google Scholar as well as the reference list of the relevant articles were searched to collect information for this opinion article.