Researchers are investigating the benefits of strenuous versus more moderate activity. In a recent study of men ages 64 to 84, intense exercise appeared more beneficial than moderate activity at preventing deaths from heart disease, the authors report. Any type of exercise can lower a person's risk of developing heart disease, most research indicates. A review of numerous studies showed that heart patients who exercise were about 25 percent less likely to die of heart disease or any ailment during the course of the studies than their inactive counterparts. Persons with heart disease and those with healthy hearts should be examined by a physician before undertaking an exercise program, authors write.
Exercise boosts the body's fibrinolytic system which dissolves blood clots.
This benefit helps the heart by regulating blood flow according to the needs of the tissues that the blood vessels serve. The amount of blood needed by the tissue depends on the oxygen level of the tissue. The benefits of exercise are even more far reaching. Myocardial contractility is normally stated in terms of an ejection fraction. Ejection fraction is the fraction of blood in the heart chamber that is ejected with each contraction.