My Healthy Heart Blogs
Fitness Level Indicates Risk of Heart Attack
01/29/08
Nutrition & Exercise
People with a lower exercise capacity are more likely to suffer from serious cardiac events like heart attack. Exercise can reduce risk of heart disease and improve health.
Survival of the fittest may take on a new meaning for the heart-health conscious.
A low level of fitness, measured by exercise capacity, can increase the risk of heart attack, according to a new study. The study, published in Archives of Internal Medicine, found a lower exercise capacity was associated with nonfatal and fatal cardiovascular events, like heart attack.
Patients referred for an exercise treadmill test were followed for an average of about three years. During that time, researchers found that patients with a low fitness level were more likely to suffer from diabetes, hypertension, and chest pain during exercise. Those patients also experienced an abnormal heart rate recovery, and were subject to higher rates of all-cause mortality.
Researchers also discovered that women were more likely to have a low exercise capacity than men. The American Heart Association recommends that all adults spend at least 30 minutes five day a week exercising at a moderate intensity. Research has proven that exercise can reduce the risk of heart disease, help control heart disease risk factors, as well as improve overall health.
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