Some doctors caution people with heart failure against pushing themselves too hard physically. But a new analysis of past studies suggests heart patients may actually benefit more from relatively intensive exercise.
Researchers found people with heart failure had a 23-percent improvement in heart function after taking part in relatively high-intensity exercise programs. That compared to a 7-percent improvement among those in low-intensity programs.
"I think we need to open up our eyes and really ask ourselves, ‘Does high intensity equal higher risk or does it mean higher rewards?'" said Neil Smart, the study's lead author.
"I personally think it's not higher risk," he told Reuters Health. "I think it means higher rewards."
Smart is an associate professor at Australia's University of New England in Armidale, New South Wales.
About 5.8 million people in the United States have heart failure, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_142108.html
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