Public release date: 7-Nov-2007
ORLANDO, Nov. 7 — Exercise increased the growth of new muscle cells and blood vessels in the weakened muscles of people with heart failure, according to two studies reported today at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2007.
“If you have heart failure, exercise training can improve your health status, increase your ability to exercise and reverse patterns of muscle damage that are common in heart failure,” said Axel Linke, M.D., assistant professor of medicine at the University of Leipzig, Germany, and a co-author on both studies.
“In addition to getting out of condition because it becomes difficult to exercise, people with heart failure have cellular-level changes in their muscles that make them weaker, more prone to fatigue, and in later stages results in actual muscle shrinkage,” he said.
Study participants rode a stationary bicycle at least 30 minutes a day (usually divided into two sessions) at about half their peak exercise capacity.
At the end of the six-month study, levels of progenitor cells stayed the same in the inactive group but changed significantly in the exercisers:
- Total number of progenitor cells (identified by c-kit+ protein marker on the cell surface) increased by 109 percent.
- Progenitor cells differentiating into muscle cells (identified by c-kit/MEF2+ marker) increased by 166 percent.
Progenitor cells actively dividing to form new cells and repair muscle damage (identified by c-kit/Ki67+ protein marker) significantly increased six-fold.
- Circulating progenitor cells (identified by CD34+ marker) increased 47 percent.
- Circulating progenitor cells beginning to mature into endothelial cells (identified by CD34/KDR+ marker) significantly increased 199 percent.
- Functional activity of the circulating progenitor cells (measured by migratory capacity) significantly increased 149 percent.
- The density of capillaries in skeletal tissue significantly increased 17 percent.
“Whether you have moderate or severe heart failure, you can benefit from exercise therapy,” Linke said. “These studies show that the benefits come from both the regeneration of muscle cells and the formation of blood vessels.”
More than 5 million people in the United States have heart failure. About 1 percent of people over age 65 start having heart failure annually.
Ralph’s Note- There was NO IMPROVEMENT in the non exercisers. I’m sorry to get these benefits with just 30 minutes of moderate cycling total. If you don’t do it, well…