Intense exercises are safe for people who have undergone a heart transplant, new research shows. High-intensity workouts can help these patients control blood pressure better than moderate exercises.
Researchers wanted to find out whether people who had heart transplant surgery benefited from high-intensity interval training.
16 subjects who had received a stable heart transplant within the past year were included in the study. For 12 weeks, researchers examined the impact of intense workout and moderate training among this group.
The results showed a number of benefits of high-intensity training in the heart transplant patients, researchers said in a press release. Apart from being safe, the intense workout increased exercise capacity and controlled blood pressure better than moderate intensity training. Researchers found that VO2 max, or maximal oxygen uptake, increased by 17 percent in patients after high-intensity interval training as opposed to 10 percent in those who followed moderate training.
Heart transplant patients witnessed considerable decreases in systolic blood pressure after intense exercises. No such change was seen in the moderate intensity group. Peak heart rate also increased in the high-intensity group, but not in the moderate intensity group. Heart rate recovery improved in both groups.
"Today, people who have been given a new heart experience increased physical function, quality of life, and overall life span; however, most patients continue to have limitations in their physical function and reduced quality of life compared to the general population due to side-effects from anti-rejection medications and because heart rate regulation is impaired after heart transplantation," said Christian Dall of Bispebjerg Hospital at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
He explained that poor heart rate response was believed to be an obstacle for high-intensity training. But this study proves stable heart transplant recipients benefit from this type of training more than moderate training, which is often recommended for those in recovery.
Researchers said the findings might be motivating for athletes who participate in the Transplant Games of America and those training for upcoming summer and winter World Transplant Games.
The study was published in the American Journal of Transplantation.
