Moderate and regular physical activity helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, but when practiced at high intensity, the appearance of coronary pathologies is favored
A study conducted by researchers in animal models has shown that high-intensity exercise favors long-term vascular injuries.
Moderate and regular physical activity helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. However, recent studies suggest that high-intensity exercise practice favors the appearance of coronary pathologiesthat is, alterations in the arteries that supply blood, oxygen and nutrients in the heart.
“We don’t have a lot of data, a fact that makes it difficult to establish a cause-effect relationship, due to risk of bias and the possibility of confounding factors. However, it seems that the prevalence of these diseases increases in those who run marathons or participate in extreme or high-intensity sports for many years. However, we do not know why this happens,” explains Eduard Guasch, CIBERCV researcher, cardiologist at Hospital Clínic de Barcelona and head of the IDIBAPS Arrhythmias and physical activity group.
Now, Guasch and his team are leading a study, published by the scientific journal ‘Journal of American College of Cardiology – Basic to Translational Science’, which evaluates the effect of intense exercise in an animal model. Researchers from the University of Barcelona, the Bioengineering Institute of Catalonia and the Sant Joan de Déu Hospital have also participated in the work.
Research
The study was carried out in an animal model in order to precisely control the intensity of exercise for long periods of time. The male rats used in the experiments were divided into three groups.
The first followed a moderate exercise regimen, who reproduced an active lifestyle, while the second underwent a very high intensity routine, similar to that of extreme athletes. Finally, the third group of animals, the sedentary one, remained in the cages.
“The training, with a treadmill for rodents, lasted sixteen weeks, equivalent, very indicatively, to about 10-12 years of exercise in humans. After this time, we analyzed the stiffness and structure of the aortic artery, as well as its endothelial function. This last parameter is an early marker of atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, the main cause of myocardial infarctions,” says Guasch.
Study Conclusions
According to the results, compared to a sedentary lifestyle, high-intensity physical exercise dilates and increases the stiffness of the aortic and carotid arteries. Likewise, also increases the rigidity of the cells and favors the rupture of the elastic laminae of the blood vessel walls
“These effects, however, are not observed in the case of moderate exercise. In contrast, both intense and moderate exercise improve endothelial function, although intense activity seems to alter the balance between the processes of dilation and contraction of blood vessels,” the researcher points out.
The research team also identified some of the mechanisms involved in this vascular remodeling, which persisted for up to four weeks after stopping physical activity.
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“Despite the limitations of use an animal model, our data suggest that intense exercise does not directly cause atherosclerosis, but rather a different process, similar to vascular aging. In addition, this type of activity could also reduce the benefits of moderate exercise,” concludes Guasch.
The project has received direct funding from the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII) and the National Plan (Ministry of Economy), as well as indirect funding from the Generalitat, since the group is one of the Research Groups Recognized by this institution, from the CIBERCV and the ERDF.