Many people diet or exercise to relieve stress. However, excessive exercise without considering your physical condition may be harmful rather than beneficial. This can lead to a critical situation, especially if it puts strain on the heart. Find out how to avoid emergency situations and maintain a strong heart with Professor Han Seong-wook, a cardiologist at Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital.
[이동훈 MC]
Today’s topic is sports cardio. The term itself may feel a little unfamiliar. We’ll go into a little more detail in a moment. First of all, the concept of sports cardio. Also, the professor is said to be doing a lot of work to raise awareness of its importance. Could you tell us briefly about that part first?
[한성욱 심장내과 교수]
Sports cardiology is a branch of sports medicine. When you think of sports medicine, you think of it as something like orthopedics or rehabilitation medicine, but in fact, there is no systematic management or examination of the hearts of athletes when they exercise.
So, although it is a small field within sports medicine, the Society of Sports Cardiology is a place that finds out what is toxic to people who exercise, informs them, and creates guidelines such as how people with heart disease should exercise.
In 2022, it started as a sports medicine research group under the Arrhythmia Society. So, in the future, when the base expands, we plan to expand it together with the Sports Medicine Society and the Rehabilitation Medicine Society to improve the health of people who engage in various types of sports in our country.
[윤윤선 MC]
When I see people who exercise regularly, I think they are very diligent. We all know that exercise is good, but let’s point out one more time what the benefits are.
[한성욱 심장내과 교수]
As you said, exercise is good. But where would it be good? It is especially good for the heart and cardiovascular health. So it addresses factors that pose a risk for cardiovascular disease.
It improves hyperlipidemia, reduces weight, and reduces insulin resistance. Therefore, people who exercise live longer because the onset of cardiovascular disease is delayed. In addition, it can prevent osteoporosis, and you can live a much brighter and more regular life with much less mental depression. It is known that the incidence of cancer is lower, although it is not known whether this is the effect.
So, if we are talking about an athlete, to what extent can a person who exercises exercise be called an ‘athlete’? Athletes are people who exercise and train regularly and attend official competitions.
And among them are elite athletes, competitive athletes, and recreational athletes, depending on the time of day. Those who do it regularly for more than 4 hours a week can be called recreational athletes, those who do it more than 6 hours a week can be considered competitive athletes, and those who do it more than 10 hours a week can be called elite athletes.
[이동훈 MC]
Ji-Sung Park’s nickname was “Two Hearts.” You said you have that much tireless stamina. What do you think, Professor? In fact, athletes express that their hearts are stronger, but I wonder what the concept of being strong really means.
[한성욱 심장내과 교수]
A strong heart is a heart with good exercise capacity. So, people who exercise a lot, run marathons, or play a lot of soccer like Park Ji-sung have high oxygen demand and their heart needs to pump a lot. Then the heart changes to fit that moment. So they adapt, and most often the heart becomes thicker or larger.
[이동훈 MC]
Getting bigger or thicker?
[한성욱 심장내과 교수]
It changes so that a lot of blood can be squeezed out at once. If you compare a normal heart with a thickened heart using an echocardiogram, the thickness of the walls will be different. So most athletes’ hearts go through this type of change. This degeneration itself is determined by duration and then intensity.
(Composition Kim Jae-yoon)
