Exercise helps us to stay fit, build strong muscles, and feel good. But did you ever think about how exercise affects our hearts? Let’s dive into it!
The Heart – Our Superhero!
Imagine you’re a superhero, just like in your favorite comic books. Now think of your heart as your secret superpower.
It’s like a little pump, working hard all the time to send blood all around your body. Blood carries oxygen and nutrients that our body needs to work properly.
The Carotid Arteries – Superhighways for Blood!
The heart pumps blood into our body through tubes called arteries. Some special arteries, called the carotid arteries, take blood to our face and brain.
These are like superhighways taking important supplies to a big city – our brain!
What is Stenosis?
But, sometimes, stuff like fat and cholesterol can start to build up on the walls of these arteries, like trash piling up on a highway. This pileup is called plaque, and it can narrow the artery.
This narrowing is called stenosis. Just like a traffic jam on a highway, stenosis slows down blood flow to the brain. If the brain doesn’t get enough oxygen from the blood, it can lead to a stroke, which is like a big power outage in the city.
How Does Exercise Impact This?
Now, let’s go back to exercise. When we exercise, our heart rate goes up, and the heart pumps more blood.
For healthy kids and grown-ups, or those with just a little bit of artery blockage, this is a good thing. It’s like sending more trucks down the highway to deliver more supplies to the city.
However, for those with a lot of artery blockage, this might not be so great.
The Study
Scientists from a place called the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur did a study to see how exercise affects people with different amounts of blockage in their arteries.
They used a computer model, like a video game, to mimic blood flow in the carotid arteries.
They looked at no blockage, a little bit of blockage (30%), and moderate blockage (50%). They then compared what happened at rest and during exercise.
The Results
What they found might surprise you! For the people with no blockage or a little bit of blockage, exercise helped keep their blood flowing healthily. But for those with moderate blockage, exercise actually made things worse!
When these people exercised, the force of the blood against the blockage increased, which could cause the plaque to break apart.
This is like a truck crashing into the trash pile on the highway, causing a big mess. Pieces of plaque could then travel to the brain, causing a stroke.
What This Means for Us
It’s a reminder that everyone is different and what’s good for one person might not be good for another.
If someone has a lot of blockage in their arteries or had a stroke before, they might need to be careful about how much and what type of exercise they do.
They should also check their arteries regularly, kind of like a road checkup to make sure the highway to the brain is clear!
So, remember, exercise is important, but we also need to listen to our bodies and doctors to make sure we’re exercising in a way that’s best for us.
If you care about stroke, please read studies about a breakfast linked to better blood vessel health, and olive oil could help lower risks of heart disease and stroke.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about how Mediterranean diet could protect your brain health, and wild blueberries can benefit your heart and brain.
The study was published in the Physics of Fluids.
Copyright © 2023 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
