Structure of heart linked to physical exercise: study

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Washington, Apr 24 A landmark study has suggested the impact of physical exercise on the structure of the heart, a finding that could immensely benefit heart disease patients.

Researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in collaboration with the Harvard University health services found that 90 days of vigorous athletic training produces significant changes in cardiac structure and function and that the type of change varies with the type of exercise performed.

The study, which appears in the April Journal of Applied Physiology, enrolled two groups of Harvard University student athletes at the beginning of the fall 2006 semester.

At the end of the 90-day study period, both groups had significant overall increases in the size of their hearts. For endurance athletes, the left and right ventricles—the chambers that send blood into the aorta and to the lungs, respectively—expanded.

“We were quite surprised by both the magnitude of changes over a relatively short period and by how great the differences were between the two groups of athletes,” said Aaron Baggish, the lead author of the study. “The functional differences raise questions about the potential impact of long-term training, which should be followed up in future studies,” he said.