Everybody knows that regular exercise can help prevent a heart attack. But did you know that it can also rejuvenate a heart that is failing? A new study shows that people over the age of 60 can help their heart become young again simply by exercising more.
In the study, researchers examined six men and six women, ages 60 to 75. None of the participants were obese. But they had been living an inactive lifestyle. They were put on an 11-month program of endurance exercise under the careful guidance of a trainer.
At the start of the study, their hearts did not increase the combustion of glucose in response to an adrenaline-type drug that made their hearts race. But after the training, their hearts doubled their energy production from glucose to levels of a youthful heart.
Lead author Pablo Soto, MD explains that the heart muscle must take in glucose in response to increased energy needs. If it does not, it becomes energy deprived. That can raise your risk of heart attack. But if it can increase glucose uptake, your heart is better protected against ischemia (low oxygen) and heart attack.
This is vital information for men and women, but its especially important for men. Though both the men and women in the study had the same rejuvenating benefit from their exercise programs, there are metabolic differences between the sexes. The heart uses both glucose and fatty acids for energy. In the men, the hearts fatty acid metabolism dropped in response to increased energy demand. But it went up in women. So mens hearts might be more dependent on glucose combustion for energy. Exercise can keep up their energy creation from glucose, possibly sparing the men the loss of energy from lowered fatty acid combustion.
Ive written many times that exercise seems to be a major factor in mitigating the bad effects of a toxic lifestyle. Here you have another reason why. It keeps your heart younger. I can assure you that if it has that effect on your heart cells, it will have a similar impact on other body tissues.
Final note: After I wrote this information on exercise and your heart, I saw even more information connecting exercise and your brain. One study followed people with early Alzheimers. It showed that those who were not physically fit (treadmill test) had a 400% increased risk of brain shrinkage compared to those who were fit.
A second study found that in patients who already had cognitive decline, exercise slowed further mental decline.
You do not have to be a rocket scientist to connect the dots. Exercise is essential for a healthy life. It rejuvenates your heart. And it can preserve your brain. If it can do these seemingly disparate wonders, imagine its overall effect on your body.
Ref: American Journal of Physiology, online June 20, 2008; Neurology, July 15, 2008; JAMA, September 3, 2008.