Can anyone answer this question?
Can too much high-intensity exercise pose heart risks?
May 20, 2014
Along
with following a nutritious diet and avoiding risky behavior like
smoking, part of a healthy lifestyle includes exercising regularly. But
two new studies published in the journal Heart suggest doing too much
high-intensity exercise may increase risks of dying from a heart attack
or developing an irregular heart rhythm later in life.
In a linked editorial to the studies, two
writers say the results reveal a “J-shaped curve” for health benefits
of exercise, whereby more does not always mean better. They also say the
research raises questions about intensity and duration of physical
activity at different points in life.
The first study was conducted by
researchers in Germany, who, for 10 years, assessed the frequency and
intensity of physical activity in more than 1,000 individuals with
stable coronary artery heart disease for 10 years.
Participants were mostly in their 60s and
had participated in a cardiac rehabilitation program to help them
exercise regularly. The researchers tracked survival of all participants
as part of the study.
Currently, heart disease patients are
advised to participate in up to an hour of moderate intensity aerobic
activity at least five times a week. The breakdown of study participant
activity was as follows:
• 40% were physically active two to four times per week
• 30% were physically active more than four times per week
• 30% were physically active less than two times per week
• 10% rarely or never did any exercise.
Though the most physically inactive were
twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke as those who were
physically active and were four times as likely to die of all causes,
results showed that those who did the most strenuous daily exercise were
more than twice as likely to die of a heart attack or stroke.
The researchers note that they took into account other influential factors that could have affected the results.
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