Often abbreviated CHD, coronary heart disease is a serious medical condition that affects the arteries that deliver blood and oxygen to your heart. Heart disease, which includes CHD, is the top killer of adults in the United States. Although the disease is often preventable, approximately 12.6 million residents of the United States had CHD as of 2002, reports the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Identification
Your body contains blood vessels known as coronary arteries, which carry blood and the oxygen it contains to your heart. It is important for the arteries to remain unclogged so your heart can receive the proper amount of blood and oxygen it requires. The fatty compound called cholesterol can interfere with your coronary arteries, however, if it collects inside the blood vessels, causing them to become narrower. This accumulation of cholesterol can lead to CHD and ultimately prevent your heart from functioning correctly. The results may include problems such as a heart attack and even death.
Role of Exercise
Lack of exercise is a common contributor to CHD and other long-term medical conditions such as cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. A major reason exercise has such a strong influence on your health is because physical activity helps you reach a healthy weight and maintain it. The excess pounds found in overweight and obese people are associated with various unhealthy features, including higher blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Regular physical activity not only reduces your chances of developing such health problems, but it also decreases stress and improves your mental health and social life.
Benefits
Regular exercise generally consists of 30 minutes of physical activity on most days. Getting that much exercise makes your heart stronger and therefore healthier. A strong, healthy heart is able to circulate more blood with each heartbeat and perform optimally with less effort. Moreover, people who exercise on a regular basis typically have a slower heart rate when they are not exercising, because their heart requires less effort to pump blood while they are resting.
Effects
Engaging in physical activity regularly can give you a 45 percent lower risk of developing CHD than people who lead a more sedentary, less physically active lifestyle, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center. The advantages of regular exercise that help prevent CHD include decreasing the amount of dangerous low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in your blood and maintaining a healthy weight. Although intense physical activity such as jogging long distances can increase exercise's positive effects on your heart, you can benefit from exercise simply by walking at a moderate pace for a half-hour or so several times a week.
Stress Tests
Exercise can help improve your heart's health and determine your heart's health also. Medical professionals frequently use a procedure called a stress test to diagnose heart problems and evaluate your heart's performance during exercise. The test involves pedaling a bicycle or walking or running on a treadmill at various levels of intensity while a technician monitors your heart rate, blood pressure and breathing. Stress tests can detect CHD and the amount of exercise you can engage in safely after a diagnosed heart problem or heart surgery.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Heart Disease Prevention - 5 Strategies Keep Your Heart Healthy
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: Stress Testing for Coronary Heart Disease
- University of Chicago Medical Center: Coronary Heart Disease
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Exercise's Effects on the Heart
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Physical Activity Fundamental To Preventing Disease
