A year of vigorous and assiduous physical activity in midlife can increase the elasticity of the heart muscle, limiting the risk of heart failure.
- Prolonged physical activity improves cardiac elasticity in young people but has no effect on cardiac stiffness in people aged 65 and over.
- This study reveals that intense physical activity for a year in people between 45 and 64 years old improves cardiac rigidity.
- However, these results cannot allow the researchers to affirm that this will protect these people against heart failure.
Several lifestyle changes can help fight heart failure. Reducing stress and anger are starting points. Avoiding junk food and tobacco are two other tips that can reduce the risk. Not delaying before being taken care of is essential so that the situation of the patients does not worsen. In new research, published September 20 in the journal TrafficUS researchers prove that regular physical exercise in midlife prevents heart stiffness and delays the risk of heart failure.
Exercise has no effect on cardiac elasticity in older people
For this study, the scientists focused their research on patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (ICFEP), which accounts for about half of all heart failures. It is characterized by increasing stiffness of the heart muscle and high pressures inside the heart during exercise. “It is considered by some to be one of the most important virtually incurable diseases in cardiovascular medicine.”, adds Dr. Benjamin Levine, lead author of the study.
Previous studies have shown that prolonged physical activity improves cardiac elasticity in young people but does not affect cardiac stiffness in people aged 65 and over. In this new research, the scientists wanted to know what the effects of regular physical training are in people aged 45 to 64.
One year of training
The researchers recruited 31 people with thickened heart muscle and increased blood biomarkers associated with heart failure. Among them, 11 were randomly assigned to a control group and followed a program of yoga, balance and resistance training three times a week.
The rest were assigned to a personalized exercise program of walking, biking, or swimming that grew gradually until the participants did intensive aerobic interval training for at least 30 minutes and at least twice. per week, plus two to three moderate-intensity workouts and one to two strength training sessions per week. Everyone had a personal trainer or exercise physiologist to oversee their training.
To be effective, exercise must be intense and over time
After one year of training, participants performing the vigorous physical training showed physiologically and statistically significant improvement in measures of cardiac stiffness and cardiorespiratory fitness. In comparison, the others showed no change. “The results suggest that the late 50s may be an ideal time to use exercise to prevent heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, before the heart becomes too stiff.“says Dr. Benjamin Levine.
However, these results cannot allow the researchers to affirm that this will protect these people against heart failure. “Larger studies will be needed for this.said Dr. Shannon M. Dunlay, a cardiologist specializing in heart failure and transplantation, who was not involved in the study. It can be a challenge, but I think this study is a good first step. Heart failure is a difficult thing to live with, and if we are able to prevent it with exercise, this is really useful information.”
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