A new study suggests that men at age 40 are not too old to start exercising to make their hearts healthy. The benefits were the same compared to those who began the intensive endurance training at an earlier age.
Researchers led by David Matelot from ENS Rennes recruited 40 healthy men aged between 55 and 70 who showed no signs of heart risks. The subjects were then divided into groups according to the level of exercise and the ages they started doing the training. Ten declared that they spend at least 2 hours a week exercising throughout their lives while 30 spare at least 7 hours for more than five years. Half of them started running or cycling before they turned 30, while the other half began at 40.
The participants underwent echocardiography (ECG) before the exercise and during the exercise and heart rate analysis. The researchers compared the data of those who started earlier to those who began at 40.
Their findings revealed that the heart rate of both age groups does not have a significant difference at 1.3 bpm. Those who do not exercise at all had 69.7 bpm while the research groups were at an average of 58 bpm. Oxygen intake is also similar to the age groups, as well as the ECG results.
"We think this result is of interest because it is related to cardiovascular health and well-being," said Matelot in a press release.
The researchers clarified though that while it does not matter whether one exercise earlier or later in terms of heart health, it is best to start younger to strengthen the bones, muscles and lungs. Their study did not check whether exercising at a later age can reverse existing heart conditions.
"But it's never too late to change your way of life and get more physically active," added Matelot.
The findings of the study were presented in May 9 at the EuroPRevent 2014 event of the European Society of Cardiology in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
