Myth about the impact of physical activity on the heart's myocardium debunked

Australian scientists — specialists from the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute — have proven that regular exercise does not wear out the heart but strengthens it. The results of the study were published in JACC: Advances.

According to the researchers, the common belief that increased heart rate during workouts “wears out” the heart is not true. On the contrary, people leading an active lifestyle have a resting heart rate on average 10% lower than those who do not exercise.

The study showed that active individuals had a heart rate of about 68 beats per minute, while sedentary people had about 76 beats per minute. As a result, the heart of trained individuals performs approximately 11.5 thousand fewer beats per day. It is also noted that for most healthy adults, a normal resting heart rate ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute.

The lead researcher, Professor La Gersh, emphasized that a lower resting heart rate is an indicator of good physical fitness and long-term health.

“Of course, the heart works more actively during exercise, but the lower resting heart rate fully compensates for this workload,” the scientist said.