The perceived benefits of exercise took a bit of a setback a couple of weeks ago when it was reported by the Associated Press that people suffering from heart failure was no magic pill to turning back the clock on its deleterious effects. Researchers from Yale said that after analyzing two groups of patients with heart failure – one of which received medical treatment but exercised as well, the other receiving treatment but without an exercise regimen – there was no real difference in the number of people eventually being hospitalized. It was a finding that Yale’s lead researcher called a “shame,” not only for the five million people around the world suffering from heart failure, but also because it spoils the transcendent, magical quality exercise has come to be known for (sort of like findings out for the first time there’s no Santa Claus).

But, o ye of little faith! Because according to the latest round of research – research that controlled for contributing factors – exercise maintains its magical quality after all, as it was found to be a way in which heart failure patients can avoid hospitalization and death.

Unlike the first study, which involved far fewer patients, the very latest study involved a greater sample size (approximately 2,331), all of whom had severe symptoms associated with heart failure, the main one being the heart’s left ventricle in its limited capacity to pump blood throughout the body.

Similar to other studies, this study pooled two groups together, each receiving top-of-the-line medical treatment. Both had access to medications traditionally used for people with heart failure, such as ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers (95 percent received one or both of these). The only real difference between the two groups was that one of them exercised an average of 30 to 40 minutes a day, either walking on a treadmill or riding on a stationary bicycle. The other group was encouraged to remain “active,” but not prescribed any regular exercise regimen.

The researchers analyzed and kept track of the participants’ progress for two and a half years. At the conclusion of the study, after controlling for contributing factors that often lead to hospitalization, the researchers found that those in the exercise group were 15 percent less likely to require hospitalization or to die from cardiovascular disease or complications resulting from heart failure

Now, it’s important to note that like the Yale study, this study – which was performed by researchers from Duke University – initially showed no real benefit resulting from exercise; the difference in the number of people who were hospitalized or died from heart failure in the exercise or non-exercise group was negligible. But the first go ‘round didn’t take into account contributing factors, like how advanced people’s heart failure conditions were and what people’s capacity for exercise was at the study’s introduction. This is why you so often see the phrase “after controlling for contributing factors” in these and other studies, because contributing factors affect any study’s ultimate conclusion.

Thanks to the Duke researchers’ stick-to-it-iveness and honing the framework of the study, we see once again that exercise really is a magical potion that leads to positive results for virtually all of life’s ills.