Exercise Like a Drug in Heart Disease, Study Finds
(Washington, Reuters Health, 1/24/03)

When Scott Diamond of the University of Pennsylvania's Institute for Medicine and Engineering, studied human arteries in a lab, he concluded that increased blood flow across artery walls stimulates the production of natural anti-inflammatory substances that are as potent as steroids, but without the side-effects. Diamond speculates that, since cardiac problems are linked to inflammation, exercise may help the body avert hardening of the arteries and cardiac disease by increasing blood flow. At this point, Diamond's results are very preliminary and he plans to test his hypothesis further by doing animal studies