Chronic Stress, Exercise and Cardiovascular Disease: Placing the Benefits and Risks of Physical Activity into Perspective

Barry A. Franklin, Akash Rusia, Cindy Haskin-Popp and Adam Tawney
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Barry A. Franklin: Preventive Cardiology and Cardiac Rehabilitation, Beaumont Health, Royal Oak, MI 48073, USA
Akash Rusia: Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Cardiology, Beaumont Health, Royal Oak, MI 48073, USA
Cindy Haskin-Popp: Preventive Cardiology and Cardiac Rehabilitation, Beaumont Health, Royal Oak, MI 48073, USA
Adam Tawney: Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Cardiology, Beaumont Health, Royal Oak, MI 48073, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 18, 1-17

Abstract: Chronic stress, which has been exacerbated worldwide by the lingering COVID pandemic, has been strongly linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD). In addition, autonomic dysregulation via sustained sympathetic activity has been shown to increase the risk of arrhythmias, platelet aggregation, acute coronary syndromes and heart failure. Fortunately, effective coping strategies have been shown to attenuate the magnitude of hyperarousal associated with the stress response, including moderate-to-vigorous lifestyle activity and/or structured exercise. A good-to-excellent level of cardiorespiratory fitness also appears to be highly cardioprotective. These beneficial effects have been substantiated by numerous studies that have evaluated the levels of stress reactivity and stress recovery in physically active individuals versus matched sedentary controls, as well as before and after exercise interventions. On the other hand, unaccustomed strenuous exercise in habitually sedentary persons with underlying CVD is associated with a disproportionate incidence of acute cardiac events. Moreover, extreme exercise regimens appear to increase coronary calcification and the likelihood of developing atrial fibrillation. This review summarizes these relations and more, with specific reference to placing the benefits and risks of physical activity into perspective.

Keywords: physical activity; chronic stress; atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease; acute myocardial infarction; sudden cardiac death; hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; coronary artery calcium; atrial fibrillation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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