You know that physical activity is good for your body. But do you know that exercise after a heart attack may add years to your life?
Exercise After a Heart Attack and Life Expectancy
Researchers in Sweden tracked 22,227 people who had survived heart attacks. They found that exercise after a heart attack was connected to a prolonged lifespan. And it isn’t only about major exercise. Keeping active is a tremendous help too.
Details of the Study
The researchers asked the patients about their activity levels at two periods. The first was between six to ten weeks after the heart attack. The second was between ten to twelve months after the attack. After four years, the researchers followed up with the participants and found that 1,087 of them had died.
Findings of the Study
- Patients who were active during the entire ten-to-twelve months after the attack were seventy-one percent less likely to die compared to those who were inactive during that period.
- The patients who were inactive during the first ten-to-twelve months but got more active afterwards were fifty-nine percent less likely to die compared to those who remained inactive.
- Patients who became less active but kept up some exercise had forty-four percent less likelihood of dying.
The study wasn’t controlled so it couldn’t test the causality of exercise after a heart attack on mortality. But the findings seem to speak for themselves. So if you were looking for another reason to keep active, here it is.