People who keep fit improve their chances of survival if they suffer a myocardial infarction, according to the findings of a Danish study published today.
The research adds to the knowledge of how fitness improves cardiovascular health, according to the Danish researchers.
The study involved more than 14,000 people in Copenhagen, who had never had a heart attack or stroke when it began in the late 1970s.
Participants’ levels of physical activity were assessed at the outset – and they were tracked for 35 years. Some 1,664 suffered MI and for 425 this was fatal.
The analysis, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, showed that those with moderate activity levels were 47% less likely to die from MI than those who were sedentary.
Even light activity reduced mortality by 32%.
Researcher Professor Eva Prescott, of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, said: “We know that exercise protects people against having a heart attack.
“Animal studies suggest that myocardial infarctions are smaller and less likely to be fatal in animals that exercise. We wanted to see if exercise was linked with less serious myocardial infarctions in people.”
She added: “One possible explanation is that people who exercise may develop collateral blood vessels in the heart which ensure the heart continues to get enough blood after a blockage.
“Exercise may also increase levels of chemical substances that improve blood flow and reduce injury to the heart from a heart attack.
"I think it’s safe to say that we already knew exercise was good for health and this might indicate that continuing to exercise even after developing atherosclerosis may reduce the seriousness of a heart attack if it does occur.”
Ejlersen H, et al. Prognostic impact of physical activity prior to myocardial infarction: Case fatality and subsequent risk of heart failure and death. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology 13 April 2017; doi: 10.1177/2047487317702046
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