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Cardiovascular Disease

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Research/News

Long-Term Endurance Training Linked to Heart Damage

Endurance training is thought to contribute to improved heart health. However, a recent study suggests that too much training may have the opposite effect. Published online ahead of print in the Journal of Applied Physiology (2011; doi: 10.?1152/?japplphysiol.?01280.?2010), the study had the purpose of determining the cardiac structure and function of veteran endurance athletes. The study subjects included three sets of men: 12 older endurance athletes (aged 50–67), 20 older controls (aged 52–69) and 17 younger endurance athletes (aged 26–40).

Implications of Peak Heart Rate Study for Women

I am always eager to read IDEA Fitness Journal, which keeps me up-to-date on the trends and the science in health and fitness. It is such a great resource for me and my staff. I would like to make a short comment on “New Heart Rate Recommendations for Women” [Making News, January 2011]. The [item mentioned a] study by Gulati et al. [Circulation, 122 (2), 130–37]. The study is excellent, and I look forward to the continued research of those associated with it.

Can High-Intensity Exercise Cause Heart Disease?

According to the website MarathonGuide.com, more than 382,000 marathon finishing times were recorded in the United States in 2005. Those who complete marathons are often credited with having high levels of physical prowess. However, recent research claims that regular participation in such events may negatively impact heart health.

gents and grains

Men who want to lower their risk of developing hypertension may want to up their daily intake of whole-grain products, according to a study in the September 2009 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Researchers who followed more than 51,000 men (aged 40–75 in 1986) enrolled
in the ongoing prospective Health Professionals Follow-Up Study found that those with a higher whole-grain intake,
especially total bran, had a lower risk
of becoming hypertensive.

Exercise May Help Men Avoid Stroke

Having trouble convincing your male client to exercise on his own? Inform him that moderate- to high-intensity exercise may help him avoid a stroke. A study published in the November 24 issue of Neurology (2009; 73, 1774–79) found that men who engaged in moderate- to high-intensity exercise had
a 63% lower chance of stroke than those who did not. The 9-year study involved 3,298 men and women (average age, 69 years). Unfortunately,
exercise was not found to protect women from stroke.

Walking Improves Function in Stroke Survivors

Suffering a stroke can often have deleterious results: inhibited quality of life and heightened injury risk due to decreased mobility, to name a couple. But don’t underestimate the ability of a client who has had a stroke.

Activity Level Predicts Heart Disease in Women

New research suggests that a woman’s level of physical activity is a better sign than body weight of existing coronary artery disease and future heart problems. The study, which appeared in the September 8 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (2004; 292 [10], 1179–87), examined 906 women who had chest pain, suspected narrowing of the coronary arteries, o…

Heart Disease and Women

Did you know that heart disease is the leading killer of females in America? Not only does heart disease kill more women than men each year, but females who survive a cardiac event fare much worse than their male counterparts. Yet many women fail to recognize the toll that cardiovascular disease (CVD) can take on their bodies, and thus fail to do what is necessary to reduce the risk of getting …

Heart Disease: Is There a Gender Divide?

Although many women worry about their risk of getting breast cancer, heart disease is actually the leading killer of females in America. Not only does heart disease kill more women than men each year (Thom et al. 2006), but females who survive a cardiac event fare much worse than their male counterparts (Blomkalns et al. 2005). Yet many women and their physicians fail to recognize the toll that…

Is Interval Training Safe for CAD Clients?

According to the American Heart Association (AHA 2004), over 79 million Americans have one or more forms of cardiovascular disease (CVD). One in three deaths in th…

Simulated CPR Results Show Lack of Force

How long has it been since you’ve practiced your cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills? Recent findings show that the majority
of people untrained in CPR, and even many trained emergency personnel, do not push with enough force.
The research, detailed in the June issue of Cardiovascular Engineering, tested 104 adults untrained in CPR and 83 trained firefighters. Find…

Study to Test Exercise in Heart Failure Patients

The results of a new international study may support your efforts to design programs for clients who have experienced heart failure (and who have a doctor’s release). The “largest randomized clinical trial of exercise training ever performed” is now underway, involving 83 sites that will test 3,000 people to determine whether exercise is good for heart failure patients.
…

Training Clients with Heart Disease

They say that 50 is the new 30, but that may not hold true for all your Baby Boomer clients. In fact, more than 50% of Americans 55 or older already have some degree of heart disease, according to the latest calculations from the American Heart Association (2006). Worse still, this percentage is expected to grow significantly in the future as the Baby Boomer generation nears retirement ag…

Yoga May Reduce Risk of Heart Disease

Leading cardiologists, including Dean Ornish, MD, have helped increase the popularity of yoga by touting its ability to assist in preventing and managing heart disease. Now investigators at the Center for the Study of Complementary and Alternative Therapies at the …

Stress Increases Risk of Unexplained Cardiac Arrest

News stories are filled with incidents of cardiac arrest after earthquakes, fires and other traumatic events. What has puzzled researchers is that sometimes the victims do not have underlying heart disease. A recent study, published in Psychosomatic Medicine (2005; [67], 359–65), suggests that emotional stress may trigger unexplained, or what is referred to as “idiopath…

Heavy Kids, Heavy Hearts

Gaining weight during childhood apparently takes a heavy toll on future heart health. According to a report in the November 23, 2004, issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, obesity that starts in childhood is a consistent predictor of an overdeveloped left ventricle of the heart in early adulthood.
The researchers followed 467 children for an average o…

Baby Boomers Not Being Heart-Smart

According to “Boomer Coalition Reality Check: When Boomer Optimism Becomes Denial,” a new survey conducted by RoperASW on behalf of the Boomer Coalition and the American Heart Association, Baby Boomers in the United States are very aware of cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately this knowledge is not spurring them to take action to combat the disease. For example:
Only 47% of survey respondents eat a
healthy diet each day.

Only 55% exercise more than three
times each week.

Cholesterol and Exercise, Client Handout

Client Handout

o you have–or want to avoid–high cholesterol? Last year, when the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued new criteria for categorizing cholesterol levels as healthy or unhealthy, many more Americans suddenly found themselves in the high-cholesterol category. The good news is that exercise can help. Fitness experts Chantal A. Vella, MS, and Len Kravitz, PhD, of the University …