The benefits of regular sports activity are well established. But since all good things have limits, a cardiologist affiliated with Alfred Hospital (Melbourne, Australia) and the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences at the University of Louvain (Belgium) has shown that physical activity too intense could have cardiotoxic effects in a study published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology.
Structural changes in the heart
The author of this study, Dr. André La Gerche, deciphered the studies analyzing physical activity and heart health. He observed that the benefits of physical activity are most clearly established when it is weak or moderate. Although intensive physical activity, such as that of a professional athlete, seems to have positive effects in terms of life expectancy, the studies deciphered by Dr. La Gerche almost all report an association between atrial fibrillation (a heart rhythm disorder) and previous practice of an endurance sport. “Exercise is believed to cause permanent structural changes in the myocardium which may predispose some people to arrhythmia“explains the cardiologist in his article. At a high frequency, intensive physical activity could therefore have cardiotoxic effects. The researcher nevertheless underlines that these conclusions must be qualified:”these risks, all in all limited, would however be amply compensated by the general benefits of physical exercise, in particular the reduction of vascular accidents linked to atherosclerosis“reassures Doctor La Gerche.
Beware of cardiac predispositions
Even if on a population scale, sport remains mainly beneficial, there seems to be a risk, particularly for people who are fragile or have cardiac predispositions. The researcher has thus shown that athletes have a higher risk of heart attack than people practicing less intense sport, especially when they had cardiac abnormalities such as heart disease family. “Such cardiac events are explained by the fact that physical exercise plays the role of detonator in people weakened by an underlying anomaly. “This is why Doctor La Gerche recalls that the intensive practice of a sport must be accompanied by a follow-up by a cardiologist or by a sports doctor.
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