The Effect of Park and Urban Environments on Coronary Artery Disease Patients: A Randomized Trial

© 2015 Regina Grazuleviciene et al. Aim. To test the hypothesis that walking in a park has a greater positive effect on coronary artery disease (CAD) patients' hemodynamic parameters than walking in an urban environment. Methods. Twenty stable CAD patients were randomized into two groups: 30-minute walk on 7 consecutive days in either a city park or busy urban street. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was employed to study short-term (30 min) and cumulative changes (following 7 consecutive days of exposure) in resting hemodynamic parameters in different environments. Results. There were no statistically significant differences in the baseline and peak exercise systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR), exercise duration, or HR recovery in urban versus park exposure groups. Seven days of walking slightly improved all hemodynamic parameters in both groups. Compared to baseline, the city park group exhibited statistically significantly greater reductions in HR and DBP and increases in exercise duration and HR recovery. The SBP and DBP changes in the urban exposed group were lower than in the park exposed group. Conclusions. Walking in a park had a greater positive effect on CAD patients' cardiac function than walking in an urban environment, suggesting that rehabilitation through walking in green environments after coronary events should be encouraged

Strongmen sport is associated with larger absolute heart size and impaired cardiac relaxation

Strongmen sport is associated with larger absolute heart size and impaired cardiac relaxation. J Strength Cond Res 25(10): 2919-2925, 2011-This study was carried out to compare cardiac structure and function and blood lipids among Strongmen, sedentary controls, and marathoners. Echocardiography was performed, and endothelial function, blood lipids and maximal oxygen uptake were measured in 27 Caucasian adult men (8 Strongmen, 10 marathoners, 9 controls). Absolute cardiac size parameters such as left ventricular (LV) diameter and wall thickness of Strongmen were higher (p < 0.05), but relative (body surface area indexed) parameters were not different between controls and Strongmen. In Strongmen, the relative LV diameter (p < 0.05), wall thickness (p < 0.001), and LV mass index (p < 0.01) were lower than in marathoners. The absolute but not relative right ventricular diameter was larger in Strongmen as compared with controls, whereas all of the measured relative cardiac size parameters were higher in marathoners as opposed to in controls. The endothelial function and the ratio of wall thickness to chamber diameter were similar among the groups (p > 0.05). Maximal oxygen uptake of Strongmen was lower than in controls (p < 0.05) and marathoners (p < 0.001). Global diastolic LV function of Strongmen was impaired in comparison to controls (p < 0.05) and marathoners (p < 0.05). Plasma lipids were not different between Strongmen and sedentary controls, but in comparison to runners, Strongmen had higher low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (p < 0.05) and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p < 0.01). Participation in Strongmen sport is associated with higher absolute but not relative cardiac size parameters, impaired myocardial relaxation, and low cardiorespiratory fitness. Therefore, Strongmen may demand greater attention as an extreme group of athletes with regard to cardiovascular risk