A new US government-funded study has shown that people with the leg blood-vessel blockage called peripheral arterial disease (PAD) should plan a walking program, because it's very helpful. The study of 156 people with PAD showed that regular six-minute walks on a treadmill improved their endurance and quality of life. The findings were published in the January 14 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Over the 6 months of study, the volunteers who did their regular six-minute treadmill walks increased their walking distance by about 69 feet, while those who did not walk regularly saw a decrease of about 49 feet. Why is that? Well, it looks like there's the potential for greater oxygen extraction from the blood under maximum exercise conditions, and the muscles can make better use of blood flow and the oxygen release that comes from it.

However, by now, no improved collateral circulation has been seen in human PAD studies of walking, but it's really difficult to measure this kind of blood flow in patients. Doctors will now recommend a regimen of 40-minute walks three times a week for at least six months. In addition, it's very important to use a trainer.

Another recent study found that three-quarters of adult Americans know little or nothing about the condition, which is estimated to affect one of every 16 Americans 40 or older. In order to detect the disease, doctors are measuring the difference in blood pressure between an ankle and an arm, but that only happens in the case when the persistent leg pain, an usual symptom, is missing.