In a new study, researchers found that exercise may prevent or reduce artery stiffening in people with heart failure.
This is because exercise can limit the buildup of unsafe chemicals around the heart.
The research was conducted by a team from Ball State University.
Stiffening in large arteries in the body is common in people with heart failure.
However, less is known regarding this process in the heart’s blood vessels.
Arterial stiffness can be caused by a number of factors, including reduced elastin (an elastic-like protein in connective tissues) and the buildup of a harmful compound called AGE that forms when protein or fat combines with sugar in the bloodstream.
Previous research has shown that fat surrounding the heart’s arteries plays a role in arterial stiffness, even in people without heart failure, because it secretes AGE.
Reducing this stiffness can help preserve blood flow to the heart in people with heart failure.
In the new study, the team examined how continuous exercise training and interval exercise training could affect artery stiffness in heart failure in swine.
Exercise training consisted of treadmill running three days a week for 17 weeks. The continuous group exercised for 45 minutes without stopping plus five-minute warm-up and cool-down sessions.
The interval group alternated between three- and five-minute training periods of different exercise intensity in addition to the warm-up and cool-down.
The team found both exercise groups maintained artery elasticity and had lower levels of stiffness than the sedentary group.
In addition, they showed less inflammation and released less AGE.
The team says exercise can be a therapeutic option for treating coronary vascular dysfunction in heart failure.
The lead author of the study is An Ouyang.
The study is published in the Journal of Applied Physiology.
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