Exercise Keeps “Old” Hearts Young

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                Some years ago, aerobic training became the rage because it was known to enhance heart health. Also called endurance training, aerobic activity gets the heart rate up and sustains it for a period of time, whether by walking, jogging, cycling or swimming. It took a study from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas to demonstrate just how beneficial aerobic activity can be. The study shows that prolonged, consistent endurance training prevents stiffening of the heart walls, a problem that often accompanies aging and leads to a condition called diastolic heart failure.

                Diastolic heart failure occurs when the heart can’t get enough blood into the left ventricle, because the heart walls have become too stiff to expand sufficiently. It is the reason that 40% of heart patients over age 65 are in the hospital, and aging has generally been considered the cause of it. However, according to Benjamin Levine, MD, the study’s senior author, the study showed that lifelong exercise completely prevented heart stiffening among participants.

RESEARCH RESULTS

                In this study, three groups of men and women were tested: 12 healthy but sedentary older adults, average age, 70…12 Masters athletes (older athletes who compete at high levels in various sports), average age, 68…and 14 healthy but sedentary young people, average age, 29.

                The first result wasn’t a surprise: The older sedentary participants’ hearts were 50% stiffer than those of the Master’s athletes.

                The second results, though, was totally unexpected: The hearts of the older Master’s athletes were indistinguishable from those in the young group.

                To determine if starting exercise later in life is too late, researches put the older sedentary group into a training regimen. We spoke with Dean Palmer, MS, senior research associate in exercise physiology, who designed and led the group’s training. At first, the group exercised moderately, three days a week, and gradually increased the workload. At six months, the program incorporated once-a-week interval training-eight cycles of 30 seconds at high intensity followed by 90 seconds of lowered effort. (For example, 30 seconds of jogging with a return to brisk walking.) By the time the group completed its yearlong program, participants were exercising six days a week for 60 minutes, with an additional six or seven minutes of warm up and cool down.

                The result? Palmer says that their hearts showed some improvement, enough to demonstrate that the training has a real effect. So, the question remains – how much training would it take to effect greater heart flexibility and strength? Some participants have continued to train and at the end of the second year will be tested for impact on their hearts.

                Although earlier is clearly better, the study does show that it’s never too late to start heart-friendly exercise. Palmer recommends doing an endurance activity just about every day for 20 to 30 minutes. A reasonable level is okay so long as you get your heart rate up and keep it there. He suggests exercising with a heart-rate monitor-it will tell you if you’re at the right level for you and, he says, motivate you to kick it up a notch on lazy days. Whatever activity you choose, it’s keeping with the program-even when it rains or if you don’t feel like it – that will make a difference in your heart’s health.