The New York Times reported on a large study of more than 14,000 patients in the British Medical Journal which showed that a structured exercise program may work just as well or even better than many frequently-prescribed cardiovascular medications.

The authors of this study found no difference in mortality between exercise and drug interventions in the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease or Type 2 diabetes. For stroke prevention, exercise programs were more effective than anticoagulants or antiplatelet medicines. And for treating heart failure, diuretic drugs were more effective than exercise.