Guide to Heart Disease

The trained, endurance athlete has been of interest to physicians and physiologists for many years. This attention has been prompted by the slow resting heart rate observed in the well-trained athlete, the frequent presence of partial heart block which disappears during exercise, the common occurrence of an “abnormal” electrocardiogram suggestive of coronary disease, and the frequent finding of an “enlarged” heart on chest x-ray. These observations initially led to a misunderstanding of the effects of athletic endeavors on the heart. Thus, strenuous exercise was considered deleterious, and was thought to cause heart enlargement similar to that seen in cardiac disease.
However, subsequent long-term clinical and physiologic studies of marathon runners, cyclists, and cross-country skiers have demonstrated no detrimental cardiac effects of endurance exercise. It is now apparent that the heart of the trained endurance athlete has an increased pumping capacity and is capable of providing more oxygen to body tissues at maximum work loads. There is no evidence that exhausting exercise imposes an ill effect on a healthy heart, nor is there any confirmation that strenuous athletic activity increases the risk of early death from cardiovascular disease.

Popularity: 8%

Filed under: General Health