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Dr Larry Creswell

Dr. Larry Creswell on athletes and heart health.
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Can Too Much Exercise Harm the Heart?

April 19, 2011 By Larry Creswell, MD 3 Comments

Check out my monthly column at Endurance Corner, where I discuss the potential for (too much) exercise over the long term to cause harm to the heart.

All things considered, this issue hasn’t been studied very well. I review some of the pertinent scientific studies that raise important questions in this regard. The findings are certainly preliminary and beg for more research.

In my mind, the health benefits of exercise are well understood, though. I wouldn’t stop exercising just yet!

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Filed Under: Exercise & the heart Tagged With: damage, echocardiogram, exercise, heart, MRI

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Comments

  1. Gail says

    April 19, 2011 at 3:38 pm

    I once read if you are a runner with a history of arrhythmias and suddenly stop running for a period of time, the arrhythmia will become more frequent. This happened to me when I stopped running for a few months( was running 30 miles/week at the time) but wondered if it was just a coincidence as I couldn’t find any other literature on the subject.

    Reply
  2. Lawrence L. Creswell, M.D. says

    April 23, 2011 at 1:03 am

    Gail,

    Thanks for your comment.

    I’m not aware of much information in the scientific literature about the frequency/severity of arrhythmias with de-training.

    In my personal experience, I’ve heard athletes describe both improvement and worsening of their atrial arrhythmias when they’ve backed off their training. I think it’s the rare case where the arrhythmias stop with de-training.

    Reply
  3. Atlanta Plastic Surgeons says

    May 8, 2011 at 6:05 am

    I think exercises in regulation help the patient a lot.It is good to lose the extra fat that we collect in the body but anything too rigorous must not be done to the body when with a weak heart.Dr. Ordon plastic surgeon

    Reply

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