Lack of Exercise Can Lead to Instant Death from Heart Attack

Research from Europe shows that an active lifestyle is linked with a lower chance of dying immediately from a heart attack.

Prevention of heart disease is a major priority as it is the leading cause of death globally. Prior research has shown that physical activity is beneficial for stopping heart disease and sudden death.

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‘Even a low amount of leisure-time physical activity may be beneficial against fatal heart attacks.’
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The current research aimed to study the impact of an active life versus a sedentary one on a heart attack's immediate course. This area has minimal exploration.

Data was obtained from ten European observational cohorts. There were 28,140 healthy participants with a baseline assessment of physical activity who had had a heart attack during follow-up.

Participants were categorized into groups based on their weekly level of leisure-time physical activity - sedentary, low, moderate, or high.

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The researchers analyzed the association between activity level and the risk of death due to a heart attack (instantly and within 28 days). For variables like age, sex, diabetes, BMI, blood pressure, smoking, family history of heart disease, blood cholesterol, alcohol consumption, and socioeconomic status, the analyses were adjusted accordingly.

Findings showed that 17.7% of participants died within 28 days of their heart attack. Out of these participants, 62.3% died instantly. High levels of physical activity were found to be associated with a lower risk of instant and 28-day fatal heart attack.

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Engaging in leisure-time physical activity reduced the risk of instant death by 33% (moderate activity) and 45% (high activity). The risk reduced by 36% (moderate activity) and 28% (high activity) for death at 28 days. The association with low activity was not statistically significant.

Dr. Kim Wadt Hansen says, "We found an immediate survival benefit of prior physical activity in the setting of a heart attack, a benefit which seemed preserved at 28 days."

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He adds that even a low amount of leisure-time physical activity may be beneficial against fatal heart attacks, but statistical uncertainty precludes them from drawing any firm conclusions on that point.

The authors state that the findings provide strong support for weekly physical activity in healthy adults recommended in the 2016 European Guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention. The guidelines recommend healthy adults of all ages perform a minimum of 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity physical activity.

Source-Medindia