Exercise Offsets Muscle Breakdown in Heart Patients

We all know physical activity is good for us, and now new research suggests regular exercise can also help the aging and those suffering from heart failure.

In fact, researchers say, maintaining a regular physical workout can offset the breakdown of muscle, increase strength, reduce inflammation and condition the body to handle even more exercise.

And, the good news is, it doesn’t matter how old the patient is.

“Many physicians – and insurance companies – still believe that cardiac rehabilitation does not really help in old age. This study clearly falsifies this belief,” said Stephan Gielen, M.D., the study’s lead co-author and deputy director of Cardiology at the University Hospital, Martin-Luther-University of Halle, Germany.

Heart failure, a potentially deadly condition, occurs when the heart can’t keep up with its workload. If the heart muscle cannot pump enough blood, it cannot meet the body’s needs for blood and oxygen.

As a result, those with heart-failure get tired easily and can have shortness of breath. Activities most of us take for granted, such as walking, climbing stairs or other actions that require even mild exertion, can become very difficult for those with this condition.