07 Oct Heart Failure Risk Reduced With Increased Physical Activity
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Ambarish Pandey, MD
Cardiology Fellow, PGY5
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center,
Dallas, Texas 75390
Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Dr. Berry: Physical inactivity is considered a major modifiable risk factor for coronary artery disease and the current guidelines recommend atleast 150 min/week (~ 500 MET-min/week) of moderate intensity physical activity to reduce the burden of coronary artery disease. In contrast, the role of physical activity in reducing risk of heart failure is not emphasized in the current guidelines. This is particularly relevant considering the increasing burden of heart failure in the community. Against this background, we performed this study to the dose-response relationship between physical activity levels and risk of heart failure.
We observed a dose dependent inverse association between physical activity levels and heart failure risk. Furthermore, we observed that the current guideline recommended physical activity levels (500 MET-min/week) are associated with only modest reduction in HF risk (< 10%). In contrast, a substantial reduction in heart failure risk was observed at twice and four times the recommended physical activity levels (19% and 35% risk reduction respectively)
Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your
Dr. Berry: Guideline recommended physical activity levels may not be sufficient to achieve substantial reduction in heart failure risk and physical activity doses in excess of the guideline recommended minimum levels may be required to provide more robust reductions in heart failure risk.
Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Dr. Berry: Future randomized control trials are needed comparing different doses of physical activity/exercise training interventions to determine the optimum dose of physical activity required for heart failure prevention.
Citation:
Dose Response Relationship Between Physical Activity and Risk of Heart Failure: A Meta-Analysis
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Ambarish Pandey, MD (2015). Heart Failure Risk Reduced With Increased Physical Activity
Last Updated on October 7, 2015 by Marie Benz MD FAAD