The heart is the engine of our body, and its health is a barometer of our physical health, but at the same time, the heart is one of the most affected and problem-prone organs. According to statistics, the number of people who die of sudden heart disease in the mainland reaches 544,000 every year, more than the people in the Maldives as a whole (2018 demographics show that the total population of the Maldives is 520,000). There are many people who say that people with heart problems should not exercise anymore. But in fact, exercise not only protects the heart, but also helps the recovery of heart disease patients.
Exercise is good for heart health
Many studies have shown that sticking to exercise in your daily life is good for the heart. Among them, the British Journal of Sports Medicine study found that women between the ages of 30 and 80 who do not exercise on a regular basis have a greater risk of heart disease than women who smoke, are overweight, or have high blood pressure. Another study found that staying active after age 65 improved the body's cardiovascular system and reduced the risk of heart attack. The researchers arranged for volunteers to take daily walks, and found that people who walked more and faster had fewer arrhythmias than those who walked less and slower.
How does exercise protect the heart?
1. The effect of exercise on body mass index and blood lipids
It is well known that overweight and high blood lipids are closely related to the high incidence of coronary heart disease, and reasonable exercise can lose weight and also help reduce blood lipids. After collecting data from patients with coronary heart disease who took the test, the researchers found that exercise training reduced the prevalence of metabolic syndrome by 37 percent, while weight loss was associated with a decrease in overall mortality and the incidence of major cardiovascular disease. 【1】
2. Exercise has the effect of improving endothelial function and anti-inflammatory effect
Exercise can improve NO-mediated vasodilation function. This favorable compensation may be associated with increased vascular shear stress during exercise, which induces increased expression of endothelial NO synthase. On the other hand, regular physical activity can reduce the body's levels of various pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as CRP and TNF-α. Through a study of the general population in the United States, the researchers found that individuals who exercised regularly had significantly lower levels of CRP throughout their bodies compared with individuals who did not exercise regularly [2]. A meta-analysis of a recent interventional study also showed that a decline in CRP levels was associated with athletic training regardless of an individual's age or sex.
3. Antioxidant effect of exercise
Studies have proved that appropriate aerobic exercise can improve superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione oxidase (GPX) in the human body to remove activated oxygen produced by the body, so that the mitochondria produce adaptive changes, including increased mitochondrial volume, quantity, activity, improve oxidative phosphorylation efficiency, enhance antioxidant enzyme activity, and protect the body from oxidative damage.
Can't I exercise if I have a problem with my heart?
There is a study on exercise and heart disease abroad, the study a total of 51303 heart disease patients participated, these patients exercised a total of 2351916 hours, of which 21 cases (0.0009%/h) cardiac arrest (including 18 successful resuscitation, 3 deaths) and 8 cases (0.0003%/h) non-fatal myocardial infarction was reported. [3] Therefore, it is safe for patients with cardiovascular diseases by formulating individualized sports rehabilitation programs and carrying out sports rehabilitation under reasonable and professional supervision.
1. The effect of exercise on patients with chronic heart failure
For patients with stable heart failure, exercise training should be considered. A study of 2332 patients with heart failure with reduced chronic ejection fraction found that patients who underwent sports rehabilitation had significant reductions in cardiovascular mortality and heart failure hospitalization rates [4]. This suggests that exercise rehabilitation is effective in patients with chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.
2. The effect of exercise on patients with coronary heart disease
In the past, it was thought that exercise increased the risk of sudden cardiac death and myocardial infarction in people with coronary heart disease, which may affect the recovery of the heart. But a study of 4,846 patients with coronary heart disease found that the risk of cardiovascular events was extremely low, both at high and moderate intensity, after recovering from high- and moderate-intensity exercise.
3. The effect of exercise on patients with IMPLANTed ICD (cardiac defibrillator).
For patients with ICD implants, doctors usually do not recommend exercise rehabilitation because of concerns about acute arrhythmias caused by exercise. However, studies in recent years have shown that home exercise based on exercise prescriptions in such patients is safe and can significantly improve their cardiovascular function without causing cardiogenic shock or hospitalization. 【5】
Which exercises are better?
To promote heart health as much as possible, the American Heart Association recommends 30 minutes of aerobic exercise every day. If you can't exercise for 30 minutes at a time, you can also divide your workout plan into 10 to 15 minutes. Aerobic exercise is effective in improving cardiopulmonary health and reducing many of the risk factors that can trigger heart disease.
1. Take a walk
Walking is the easiest aerobic exercise, which can effectively improve cardiopulmonary function and increase oxygen uptake. It can also improve coronary atherosclerosis, while lowering blood pressure, regulating blood lipids, and regulating blood sugar. Recommended exercise frequency: about 30 minutes per walk, about 5 times a week. If you can't find the whole time, you can spend 10 minutes in the morning, afternoon, and evening.
2. Swimming
Swimming is one of the best aerobic exercises, and two and a half hours of swimming a week will give you the amount of aerobic exercise you need and also bring benefits to heart health. Another benefit of this form of exercise is that swimming has less stress on the bones and joints. If you're a bit overweight or have a joint condition like arthritis, this exercise is perfect.
3. Climb stairs (patients with osteoarthropathy do not use this method)
To reap the maximum heart health benefits from aerobic exercise, the goal is to reach 50 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. Whether at home or in the gym, climbing stairs is an easy way to get into the target range. (Subtracting your age from 220 is your maximum heart rate)
reference:
【1】Milani RV, LavicCJ．Prevalence and profile of metabolic syndrome inpatients following acute coronary events and effects of therapeutic lifestylechange with cardiac rehabilitation[J]. Am J Cardiol,2003,92(1):50-54.
【2】Ford ES. Doesexercise reduce inflammation? Physical activity and C-reactive protein amongU.S. adults[J]. Epidemiology,2001,13(5):561-568.
【3】Saito M, UeshimaK, Saito M, et al. Safety of exercise based cardiac rehabilitation and exerciaetesting for cardiac patients in Japan: a nationwide surey[J]. CircJ,2014,78(7):1646-1653.
【4】[17] O'ConnorCM, Whellan DJ, Lee KL, et al. Efficacy and safely of exercise training inpatients with chronic heart failure: HF-ACTION randomized controlled trial [J]. JAMA, 2009 ,301(14):1439 - 1450.
【5】Dougherty CM,Clenny RW, Burr RL,et al. Prospective randomized trial of moderatelystrenuous aerobic exercise after an implantable cardioverter defirillator[ J]. Circulation ,2015,131(21) :1835 - 1842.