Heart attack at 45

[Simon Mason]

No, not me - yet. Reading this article in our local rag was a bit worrying. The club cyclist
featured had to give up his sport at 45 years of age after his heart attack (although the article
doesn't say if he was still cycling at the time). I suppose being fit and active is still no
guarantee of good health, but it just reduces your chances of suffering heart problems

52 secs at 56k http://www.simonmason.karoo.net/zattack.htm
--
Simon Mason Anlaby East Yorkshire. 53°44'N 0°26'W http://www.simonmason.karoo.net

 

[Tony Raven]

In news:[email protected], Simon Mason <[email protected]> typed:
> No, not me - yet. Reading this article in our local rag was a bit worrying. The club cyclist
> featured had to give up his sport at 45 years of age after his heart attack (although the
> article doesn't say if he was still cycling at the time). I suppose being fit and active is
> still no guarantee of good health, but it just reduces your chances of suffering heart problems
>

There are two thoughts I have heard. One, although I have not seen any stats, is that few
international level sports personalities live to an old age. The other was a Swedish study that
compared two large groups of men in middle age and followed them over a long period. They found that
those that had taken regular exercise but stopped had higher rates of heart attacks than those that
didn't exercise. They postulated that the exercise developed more blood vessels to supply the heart
and when you stopped exercising you had more of them to have a problem in. So maybe the answer is
don't compete too hard and once you start don't stop.

Tony

--
http://www.raven-family.com

"All truth goes through three steps: First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed.
Finally, it is accepted as self-evident." Arthur Schopenhauer

 

[Peter Clinch]

Simon Mason wrote:
> No, not me - yet. Reading this article in our local rag was a bit worrying. The club cyclist
> featured had to give up his sport at 45 years of age after his heart attack (although the
> article doesn't say if he was still cycling at the time). I suppose being fit and active is
> still no guarantee of good health, but it just reduces your chances of suffering heart problems

Of course, the article doesn't comment on other risk factors: he may or may not have smoked, had a
history of congenital heart disease in the family, eaten deep fried Mars bars etc., for example. I
lost a friend to a heart attack about a month ago, somewhere in his 40s (and not late) and a fairly
fit guy: keen sea kayaker and utility cyclist who'd do occasional tours. Smoked quite a bit, but
even so it was very unexpected. :-(

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Panda]

Tony Raven wrote:
> In news:[email protected], Simon Mason <[email protected]> typed:
>> No, not me - yet. Reading this article in our local rag was a bit worrying. The club cyclist
>> featured had to give up his sport at 45 years of age after his heart attack (although the
>> article doesn't say if he was still cycling at the time). I suppose being fit and active is
>> still no guarantee of good health, but it just reduces your chances of suffering heart problems
>>
>
> There are two thoughts I have heard. One, although I have not seen any stats, is that few
> international level sports personalities live to an old age. The other was a Swedish study that
> compared two large groups of men in middle age and followed them over a long period. They found
> that those that had taken regular exercise but stopped had higher rates of heart attacks than
> those that didn't exercise. They postulated that the exercise developed more blood vessels to
> supply the heart and when you stopped exercising you had more of them to have a problem in. So
> maybe the answer is don't compete too hard and once you start don't stop.
>
> Tony

wasnt steve redgrave told something similar when he stopped competing? i.e. that he had to wind-down
his exercise program

panda