KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 (Bernama) -- Exercise medicine, which involves prescribing physical activity based on an individual’s health condition, can play an important role in preventing and managing non-communicable diseases (NCDs), according to exercise medicine specialist Prof Dr Muhammad Lee Chee Pheng.
He said exercise prescribed at the appropriate intensity, duration and frequency could complement conventional treatment for conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and hypertension.
“Simply moving more is not enough. We need to understand how exercise works at a clinical level and prescribe it correctly,” he said in a statement to Bernama.
The founder and chief executive officer of the Asia College of Exercise Medicine (ACEM) said greater awareness and training in exercise medicine could help healthcare professionals integrate physical activity into patient care, potentially improving health outcomes and reducing reliance on medication in some cases.
ACEM offers a 120-hour Professional Certificate in Exercise Medicine for doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, fitness coaches and health sciences students. The programme covers NCD management, physical assessments, exercise biomechanics and sudden death prevention.
Prof Dr Muhammad Lee said ACEM was collaborating with Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah (UniSHAMS) to incorporate exercise medicine into medical education, enabling future doctors to advise patients on safe and appropriate physical activity.
The collaboration also includes research into serum potassium levels during exercise.
Meanwhile, ACEM is developing exercise dosage protocols for different types of cancer and refining exercise prescriptions through ongoing research.
The college is also working with Comenius University Bratislava in Slovakia and the Hungarian University of Sports Science to develop testing equipment for exercise medicine research.
Prof Dr Muhammad Lee said the 8th World Conference on Exercise Medicine (WCEM 2027) would be held in Budapest, Hungary, from April 21 to 23 next year, bringing together researchers and healthcare professionals to discuss advances in the field.
He stressed that evidence-based exercise prescriptions and professional training were essential to ensuring physical activity could be used safely and effectively to prevent and manage diseases.
-- BERNAMA