Exercise is typically thought of as something that’s good for the heart.

There is a new warning for women who decide to get going in an exercise program, but who have never exercised before.

The problem: sudden cardiac death, when the heart suddenly, unexpectedly stops beating.

Dr. Christine Albert, study author at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, says, “Women were at a slightly elevated risk of having sudden cardiac death while they exercise verses at other times.”

Dr. Albert says, first speaking with one’s physician is important before starting any exercise regimen. “Always consult your physician first to make sure that there isn’t any reason why you specifically shouldn’t begin exercising but if your physician says okay go ahead, then it always makes sense to build up slowly, not to go out and do something that you’re not used to doing.”

For men who exercise, it’s estimated that six to seventeen percent of sudden cardiac deaths occur during physical exertion.

The study, though, is for the most part good news for women:
Women who exercised two or more hours per week eliminated their risk of sudden death during exercise completely; exercising four or more hours weekly lowered their overall risk of sudden cardiac death by about sixty percent.

Dr. Albert comments, “It’s very safe. Exercise provides multiple benefits um to various different health outcomes, including other types of heart disease, stroke.”

Unfortunately, the bad news is that only 15 percent of the women studied exercised four hours a week or more.

“I think that all women should try to become more physically active,” says Dr. Albert.

There is another, more dire warning for women: another study presented tuesday shows women have pretty much the same frequency of angina, or chest pain as do men.

That angina is associated with a much higher death rate than what’s seen among women without angina, and, among men with angina a well.

What is concerning, is that women with angina and abnormal tests, like a stress test, are undertreated, even when diagnosed.

“Anytime that you don’t feel well and you don’t know what’s going on, it’s better to seek medical attention than to wonder on your own what’s going on,” Dr. Albert states.

Now as far as the sudden death issue goes, overall, men are at around a nineteen times higher risk of sudden cardiac death during vigorous exercise than are women.

So not only should women be screened and seen by a doctor before starting an exercise program, but so should men!

30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity exercise almost every day is recommended for healthy adults.

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