Is Extreme Exercise Good Or Bad For Your Heart?

Is it possible to exercise so often and so intensely that you actually damage your heart?  Sure, but it’s not likely. That answer comes from a recent large scale study of more than 20,000 men, most in their 50s, who were divided into groups based on how often and how intensely they exercised. Those in the most extreme group did the equivalent of running about six miles a day. The New York Times reports on the study, which found, by looking at scans of the men’s hearts, that the most intense exercisers were, in fact, 11 percent more likely to develop plaques in their cardiac arteries. That’s the bad news. The good news is that despite the greater likelihood of plaques, vigorous exercisers were less likely to die of heart related problems than those who exercised less.  What to do? Keep on working out, and, as everyone should do, tell your doctor if you have chest pain or shortness of breath.