Description

Heart Healthy Running

Running is well known for its health benefits to the heart….but in what way? We explore this question whilst also acknowledging that running could be detrimental to heart health under certain conditions. There are also many risk factors for heart dysfunction including:

• Diet
• Smoking
• Stress
• Age
• Gender

We delve into these before moving on to address the ones that are within our control therefore could be adapted/changed to promote a healthy heart. 

SHOW NOTES

(04:57)

Let’s have a quick look at HOW the heart works. Put simply, the heart is a large muscle divided into four chambers: the left and right atrium, and the left and right ventricle. In essence, it is a muscular pump that creates a “pressure head” needed to pump blood around the body. Arteries take blood away from the heart, whilst the veins carry blood to the heart. The heart works in a repeating pattern of contraction, and relaxation, which is known as the cardiac cycle. This repeating cycle is how blood pressure is measured i.e. heart muscle contraction is the systolic reading of blood pressure whilst heart muscle relaxation is the diastolic reading of blood pressure. 

(06:24)

Looking at the potential negative effects of running on heart health including:

Sudden Cardiac Death – this is tragic but occurs very rarely and is usually linked to an undiagnosed heart condition.

Athlete’s Heart Syndrome - thought to be most prevalent in middle aged amateur male long-distance runners. Possibly because they begin running in mid-life and tend to do too much too quickly i.e. inadequately trained leading to functional and structural maladaptations.  

(17:37)

Discussing the positive effects of running on heart health including:

Increased heart mass – potentially to a level similar to that of elite athletes

Reduced heart muscle damage following a heart attack – from 3-5 consecutive days of moderate exercise

Increased cardiac mitochondria - our energy powerhouses

Reduced risk of arterial fibrillation – a condition casing an irregular and possibly abnormally fast heart rate

Maintenance of cardiac output as we age – linked to ventricular compliance

(25:44)

Considering the risk factors for cardiac dysfunction including risk factors within and outside our control.

Risk factors outside our control include:

• Age
• Gender
• Ethnicity
• Familial history
• Genetic predisposition

Risk factors within our control include:

• Diet 
• Activity levels
• Smoking
• Alcohol
• Stress 

(31:47)

FEMALE FACTORS:

1. Females at lower risk of cardiovascular disease besides men, however they are still at risk especially as they age.
2. Women are at greater risk of suffering as stroke besides men, especially as they get older
3. Although women are at lower risk of CVD than men, it is still the number one killer of women in the UK…and USA. The death rate is higher than that from breast cancer.
4. Certain ethnic groups are at increased risk of CVD including those of South African and Asian origin.  

(35:39)

How can nutrition and lifestyle support a healthy heart? 

Here we need to think about the risk factors WITHIN our control; the ones we could change or remove.

One style of eating that is known to be supportive to heart health is the Mediterranean Diet. This diet is considered a functional diet and there is increasing...