Wednesday, August 11, 2010

RRT 94: Running for a Healthy Heart

Thanks Steve and John, I enjoyed doing the RRT with you and I hope you feel like the discussion went well.

Just a reminder...

*DISCLAIMER* All material discussed herein and on the Runner's Round Table is discussed in generalities. None of this is medical advice and you MUST seek YOUR physician's counsel prior to undertaking athletic activity, especially if you have known cardiac disease.

For those that listened, I've got some notes here on things I mentioned:
  • Each increase in MET you can tolerate is associated with a 12% increase in survival. Men whose maximal exertion was < 5 METs had a 4 fold higher risk of death than men who could achieve > 10.7 METs. (Morrow Circulation 2010;121:2681)
  • The average person who is active, doesn't smoke, eats fruits and veggies, and doesn't drink to excess will live an average of 12 years longer than someone who does not do any of those healthy activities. (Kvaavik Arch Int Med 2010;170(11):998)
  • About 30% of your risk of death comes from your genes. (Perls, Ann Int Med 2003;139:445) Another similar estimate shows that 90% of stroke risk comes from 10 risk factors, many of which are modifiable by lifestyle or medicine. (O'Donnell et al. Lancet 2010;376:9735)
  • The Government Accountability Office recently reviewed the current state of direct-to-consumer marketed genetic testing.
  • Air pollution increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. (Brook et al. Circulation 2010;121:2331)
We didn't get to talk about everything I thought that people might find interesting, like:

  • People with heart transplants have run marathons! A worldwide organization similar to the Olympics which helps transplant patients compete in sports. Read about athletes like Ernesto Antonio, heart transplant recipient and finisher of the Dublin Marathon.
  • People who have heart conditions should get cardiac rehab, which can have an incredible impact on improving your fitness. 3-6 months of supervised activity can increase aerobic capacity (VO2) by 11-35%!
Other References:
ACC Guidelines on Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease:
AHA Guidelines on Cardiac Rehab:

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