Exercise's Effects on the Heart
Inactivity is one of the four major risk factors for coronary artery disease. However, exercise helps improve heart health in people with many forms of heart disease and can even reverse some risk factors, such as some of the effects of smoking.
Like all muscles, the heart becomes stronger and larger as a result of exercise so it can pump more blood through the body with every beat and sustain its maximum level with less strain. The resting heart rate of those who exercise is also slower because less effort is needed to pump blood.
People who exercise the most often and vigorously have the lowest risk for heart disease, but any exercise is beneficial. Studies consistently find that light to moderate exercise is even beneficial in people with existing heart disease. However, anyone with coronary artery disease should seek medical advice before beginning a workout program.
Effects of Exercise on Heart Disease & Cholesterol
Exercise has a number of effects that benefit the heart and circulation, including improving cholesterol and lipid levels, reducing inflammation in the arteries, assisting weight loss programs, and helping to keep blood vessels flexible and open. Studies continue to show that physical activity and avoiding high-fat foods are the two most successful means of reaching and maintaining heart healthy levels of fitness and weight.
The American Heart Association recommends that individuals perform moderate-intense exercise for 30 minutes on most days of the week. This recommendation supports similar exercise guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine.
Coronary Artery Disease. People who maintain an active lifestyle have a 45% lower risk of developing heart disease than do sedentary people. Experts have been attempting to define how much exercise is needed to produce heart benefits. In 2002, a well-conducted study on overweight adults confirmed previous research that reported beneficial changes in cholesterol and lipid levels, including lower LDL levels (bad cholesterol), even when people performed low amounts of moderate or high intensity exercise such as walking or jogging 12 miles a week. However, more intense exercise is required to significantly change cholesterol levels, notably increasing HDL (good cholesterol). An example of such a program would be jogging about 20 miles a week. Such benefits in the study occurred even with very modest weight loss, suggesting that overweight people who have trouble losing pounds can still achieve considerable heart benefits by exercising.
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