How Does Physical Activity Prevent Heart Failure?

Engaging in moderate or vigorous physical activity may lower the risk of developing heart failure, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association’s flagship journal Circulation.

Steps to Prevent Heart Failure Risk

The study is one of the first to use objectively measured activity levels to estimate heart failure risk. The results are consistent with previous studies finding that performing 150-300 minutes of moderate exercise or 75-150 minutes of vigorous exercise each week may reduce the incidence of heart attack and stroke. Heart failure is a chronic, progressive condition that develops when the heart is not capable of pumping sufficient blood to keep up with the body’s needs for blood and oxygen, and it can result in fatigue and difficulty breathing.

Heart failure affects more than 6 million adults in the United States, according to the American Heart Association, and more than 86,000 Americans died of heart failure in 2019. The Association recommends adults should engage in at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity.

Physical activity helps prevent weight gain and related cardiometabolic conditions, such as high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes, all of which are risk factors for heart failure. Regular physical exercise may also strengthen the heart muscle, which, in turn, may prevent heart failure from developing.

The investigators analyzed the health records of 94,739 adults aged 37-73 in the U.K. Biobank – a large research database in the United Kingdom that enrolled and collected health information on 500,000 adults who received care through the National Health Service.

Data for this study was gathered between 2013-2015. During that period, the subset of 94,739 participants was randomly invited to enroll in the study via the email address they had provided to the U.K. Biobank.

Participants were an average age of 56 years at enrollment; 57% were female, and 96.6% were white adults. At the time each participant was invited, enrolled, and analyzed, they had not been diagnosed with heart failure or had a heart attack.

Advertisement

Each participant wore a wrist accelerometer for seven consecutive days, 24 hours per day, to measure the intensity and duration of physical activity. After enrollment, data was collected through linked hospital and death records.

Can Exercising Reduce Heart Failure?

During a median follow-up of 6.1 years after the physical activity measurement was conducted, the analysis found that the adults who logged 150-300 minutes of moderate physical activity in one week had a 63% lower risk of heart failure.

Those who performed 75-150 minutes of vigorous physical activity in one week were estimated to have a 66% lower risk of heart failure compared to participants who engaged in minimal to no moderate or vigorous physical activity.

Advertisement

The estimated risk reductions were adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, education, socioeconomic conditions, smoking, alcohol intake, and dietary factors. According to Ho, the study results suggest that going above and beyond the current AHA recommendations for moderate activity may provide greater protection against heart failure.

People whose risk factors for heart failure include having a BMI that meets the criteria for overweight or obese, high blood pressure, and elevated glucose or cholesterol, may be particularly likely to benefit from increasing their physical activity.

Generally, moderate physical activity is easier to incorporate into daily routines, and it’s generally safer. Vigorous physical activity is sometimes the most time-efficient and may be more suitable for busy people.

However, caution is advised for all when beginning a new physical activity regimen to prevent injuries or acute adverse events (such as a heart attack in a formerly sedentary person initiating a vigorous exercise program).



Source-Eurekalert