Is there such a thing as too much exercise? According to a new study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, it’s possible–if you’re a heart attack survivor.
Researchers from the Department of Cardiology at Hartford Hospital say that heart attack survivors who exercised vigorously more than 5 hours a week–that’s around 43 minutes every day–actually increased their risk of dying from cardiovascular complications. However, exercising at a moderate pace while abstaining from working out one or two days a week led to improved heart benefits.
Dr. Carl Lavie, a cardiologist at the John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute, warns that these findings do not mean that heart attack survivors should avoid exercise, however.
“For patients with heart disease, almost all should be exercising, and generally most should be exercising 30-40 minutes most days, but from a health stand-point, there is no reason to exercise much longer than that and especially not more than 60 minutes on most days,” says Lavie. “As Hippocrates said more than 2,000 years ago, ‘if we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.'”
In the study, researches looked at data from the National Walkers’ and Runners’ Health Studies database, collecting data from nearly 2,400 physically active adults who had previously suffered a heart attack. Specifically, they looked at how long they exercised, comparing it to the amount of deaths from cardiovascular complications recorded later on during the study. While in most scenarios regular exercise was associated with a decrease in death, they found that those who exercised vigorously for more than 5 hours per week “significantly increased” their risk of death.
Furthermore, it appeared running resulted in the highest increase.
“These analyses provide what is to our knowledge the first data in humans demonstrating a statistically significant increase in cardiovascular risk with the highest levels of exercise,” say researchers. “Results suggest that the benefits of running or walking do not accrue indefinitely and that above some level, perhaps 30 miles per week of running, there is a significant increase in risk. Competitive running events also appear to increase the risk of an acute event.”
However, researchers say that these findings may not necessarily be applicable to heavy exercisers in general, as previous studies have not found a causative link between heavy exercise and early death. Adding other risk factors into the equation, however, such as a weakened heart, could make excessive exercise a deadly habit.
“[Athletes live longer than the general population], which suggests that the beneficial health effects of exercise, particularly in decreasing cardiovascular disease and cancer risk, are not necessarily confined to moderate doses,” says Dr. Alejandro Lucia, a senior investigator from the European University of Madrid, Spain. “More research is needed however, using more homogeneous cohorts and a more proportional representation of both sexes.”
What This Means For You
While overdoing exercise is never a good idea, overdoing it if you have heart problems, such as a previous history of a heart attack, could kill you, say researchers. To stay safe, exercise at a moderate pace instead–and make sure to take at least 2 days off to rest to avoid going over your “safe” limit.
Readers: How often do you exercise?
Sources:
Study: Excessive Exercise Can Kill Heart Attack Survivors – MedicalNewsToday.com
Heart Attack Survivors Should Exercise For No More Than Half an Hour a Day, Study Finds – Telegraph.co.uk
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