Exercising is recommended after a heart attack. But a study reveals that beyond a certain number of kilometers, the effects of walking or running can be negative.
Running to keep fit? Yes, but not too long, especially in people who have had a heart attack. Indeed, according to a study published recently in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, too long a weekly sports practice would increase the risk of cardiovascular accidents in these people.
No more than 150 minutes per week
Professor Paul T. Williams of the National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif. And Professor Paul D. Thompson of the Cardiology Department at Hartford Hospital, Connecticut, sought to determine whether there is a link between cardiovascular events and running. on foot per week. To do this, Professor Williams relied on 2,400 people who survived a heart attack that occurred during physical activity. The data comes from a national study on the health of runners and walkers.
The official American recommendations specify that it is necessary to practice 150 minutes of moderate physical exercise per week (walking) or 75 minutes of intensive exercise (running) to improve cardiovascular health. However, the data collected by the two professors show that the risk of cardiac mortality is reduced by 65% in people walking less than 46 kilometers or running less than 30 kilometers per week. According to Professor Thompson, “These results suggest that the benefits of running and walking do not increase indefinitely. Beyond a certain number of kilometers, perhaps 48, this could increase the risk of cardiovascular accidents, ”he concludes.
1 in 2 Americans do not exercise enough
The data collected by the study extended to the general population would be tantamount to saying that 1 in 20 people exercise too much. These people would therefore be more likely to have a heart attack. The authors specify, however, that this research focuses exclusively on survivors and therefore cannot be extended to the general population.
In the same issue of the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, a Spanish study of 42,000 elite athletes, including 707 women, showed that they live longer than the rest of the general population. Which, according to the authors, proves that “the beneficial effects of physical exercise are not necessarily conditioned by moderate doses. “
Other studies must therefore be carried out before affirming that excess weekly physical exercise increases the risk of cardiovascular accidents.
Professors Thompson and Williams have also found that 10 out of 20 Americans play sports less than the recommended 150 hours per week.
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