HealthTip: Could Exercise Preserve Your Heart's Elasticity?

A new study from the American College of Cardiology in New Orleans suggests that consistent life-long exercise preserves heart muscle in the elderly. The study involved 121 people with no history of heart disease; 59 participants were sedentary (minimally active), while 62 participants were life-long exercisers over the age of 65 years. Exercise was assessed by the number of aerobic session each week and not by the level of intensity or duration.
It is suggested that physical activity can help preserve the heart's youthful elasticity. When people are sedentary, their heart mass shrinks with each passing decade. It was found that elderly people with a history of exercising 6-7 times a week throughout adulthood not only kept their heart mass, but built upon it. They showed to have heart masses greater than sedentary healthy adults aged 25 to 34.
The researchers suggest that "if we can identify at risk people in middle age, and get them to exercise 4-5 times a week, this may go a very long way in preventing major heart conditions of old age, including heart failure."
Imagine what you could do for your heart if you started your regular exercise at an even younger age?

Information Source:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_110575.html