Impact of Exercise Training on Psychological Risk Factors

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2011.03.007Get rights and content

Abstract

Although the role of psychological risk factors has been underemphasized, considerable evidence indicates the adverse effects of various psychosocial stressors in the pathogenesis and recovery from cardiovascular diseases. Substantial data, especially from cardiac rehabilitation and exercise training programs, have demonstrated the role of physical activity, exercise training, and cardiorespiratory fitness, to improve psychological risk factors, including depression, anxiety, hostility, and total psychological stress, as well as stress-related mortality.

Section snippets

Does PS increase CVD?

Although the lay public has generally been extremely concerned about the impact of PS in general and CV health, this topic has been underemphasized by clinicians, especially in the field of CVD prevention and treatment. In a recent major review, PS was defined to exist when an individual perceives that environmental demands tax or exceed his or her adaptive capacity.6 The link between PS and CVD has clearly been identified as an important public health concern.

The body of data exploring the

Impact of ET in psychological factors

The potential beneficial effects of regular ET are reviewed throughout this symposium, but often forgotten in the prevention and treatment of CVD are the potentially powerful effects of physical activity, ET, and improved CRF on psychological risk factors.

Conclusions

We have reviewed the relevant data regarding the role of behavioral factors and PS on the pathogenesis and prognosis of CVD, especially CHD. Substantial evidence, especially from our CRET programs, has consistently demonstrated marked improvements in PS and PS-related mortality after formal ET programs. We believe that (1) greater attention directed toward psychological risk factors is needed in many aspects of medical care, including the prevention and treatment of CVD, and (2) ET and

Statement of Conflict of Interest

All authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

References (60)

  • A.M. Roest et al.

    Anxiety and risk of incident coronary heart disease: a meta-analysis

    J Am Coll Cardiol

    (2010)
  • J.E. Dimsdale

    What does heart disease have to do with anxiety?

    J Am Coll Cardiol

    (2010)
  • C.J. Lavie et al.

    Prevalence of hostility in young coronary artery disease patients and effects of cardiac rehabilitation and exercise training

    Mayo Clin Proc

    (2005)
  • S.S. Knox et al.

    Hostility, social support, and carotid artery atherosclerosis in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Family Heart Study

    Am J Cardiol

    (2000)
  • M. Friedman et al.

    Alteration of type A behavior and its effect on cardiac recurrences in post myocardial infarction patients: summary results of the recurrent coronary prevention project

    Am Heart J

    (1986)
  • R.V. Milani et al.

    Effects of cardiac rehabilitation and exercise training programs on depression in patients after major coronary events

    Am Heart J

    (1996)
  • R.C. Ziegelstein et al.

    Routine screening for depression in patients with coronary heart disease: never mind

    J Am Coll Cardiol

    (2009)
  • M.A. Whooley

    To screen or not to screen? Depression in patients with cardiovascular disease

    J Am Coll Cardiol

    (2009)
  • T. Rutledge et al.

    Depression and cardiovascular health care costs among women with suspected myocardial ischemia: prospective results from the WISE (Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation) Study

    J Am Coll Cardiol

    (2009)
  • S.L. Grace et al.

    Effects of depression on five-year mortality after an acute coronary syndrome

    Am J Cardiol

    (2005)
  • C.J. Lavie et al.

    Effects of cardiac rehabilitation and exercise training programs on coronary patients with high levels of hostility

    Mayo Clin Proc

    (1999)
  • C.J. Lavie et al.

    Effects of cardiac rehabilitation and exercise training programs in women with depression

    Am J Cardiol

    (1999)
  • R.V. Milani et al.

    Behavioral differences and effects of cardiac rehabilitation in diabetic patients following cardiac events

    Am J Med

    (1996)
  • R.V. Milani et al.

    Impact of cardiac rehabilitation on depression and its associated mortality

    Am J Med

    (2007)
  • R.V. Milani et al.

    Impact of exercise training and depression on survival in heart failure due to coronary heart disease

    Am J Cardiol

    (2011)
  • R.V. Milani et al.

    Reducing psychosocial stress: a novel mechanism of improving survival from exercise training

    Am J Med

    (2009)
  • R.V. Milani et al.

    Reduction in C-reactive protein through cardiac rehabilitation and exercise training

    J Am Coll Cardiol

    (2004)
  • R.V. Milani et al.

    Prevalence and profile of metabolic syndrome in patients following acute coronary events and effects of therapeutic lifestyle change with cardiac rehabilitation

    Am J Cardiol

    (2003)
  • T.S. Church et al.

    Improvements in blood rheology after cardiac rehabilitation and exercise training in patients with coronary heart disease

    Am Heart J

    (2002)
  • E. McAuley et al.

    Cardiovascular fitness and neurocognitive function in older adults: a brief overview

    Brain Behav Immun

    (2004)
  • Cited by (0)

    Statement of Conflict of Interest: see page 469.

    View full text