New study emphasises exercise risk for people with heart disease

Exercise can be useful for maintaining healthy blood flow in healthy patients and those with only mildly obstructed arteries.

But for those suffering from atherosclerosis, a type of cardiovascular disease caused by the buildup of cholesterol, lipids, and other particles in the arteries, it could be deadly, according to a new study.

– Key points to note

A study by the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur researchers found that patients with severely “clogged carotid arteries” risk strokes when they engage in an exercise that forces their heartbeat to go faster than normal (higher heart rate).

The higher heart rate can accumulate body tissues like cholesterol and lipids in the body without showing any symptoms to the patients, and the effect can result in stenosis (constriction or narrowing of a passage) – restricting blood flow to vital organs in the body including the brain.

According to Somnath Roy, a medical expert and the lead author of the study, intense or vigorous exercise poses risks for patients with moderate or higher stenosis levels, as it increases shear stress, potentially leading to plaque rupture and ischemic stroke.

“Intense exercise shows adverse effects on patients with moderate or higher stenosis levels. It substantially increases the shear stress at the stenosis zone, which may cause the stenosis to rupture. This ruptured plaque may flow to the brain and its blood supply, causing ischemic stroke,” he said.

– Alarming outcomes

In the study, the researcher tested blood flow in the arteries using three different degrees of stenosis: none, mild 30% obstruction, and significant 50% occlusion, and evaluated the effects of a 140-beat per minute exercise-induced heart rate with resting heart rates of 67 and 100 beat per minute.

The result confirmed that “the workout condition, as expected, increased the health of the simulated carotid in healthy and mild cases. The outcomes with substantial obstruction, on the other hand, were alarming.”

The study confirmed that age, lifestyle, and genetics contribute immensely to the risk of stenosis and strokes and it is advisable that “people who engage in strenuous exercise have their artery health checked regularly”.

Also, individuals who have moderate to severe stenosis or a history of strokes are advised to adhere to a prescribed exercise routine, it said.