Physical activity cuts risk of sudden cardiac death in unfit men

Physical activity decreases the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in men with low cardiorespiratory fitness, a new study has revealed.

The research by Dr. Jari Laukkanen, who investigated the impact of high leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) combined with cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) on risk of SCD, included 2,656 randomly selected men aged 42 to 60 years from the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study.

LTPA was assessed using a 12-month physical activity questionnaire.

The study suggested that men with low cardiorespiratory fitness and high LTPA did not have a statistically significant increased sudden cardiac death risk compared to men with high CRF and high LTPA.

"This indicates that a higher amount of leisure-time physical activity might reduce the risk of SCD among men with low cardiorespiratory fitness," Laukkanen said.

He added that the study showed that exercise training and high leisure-time physical activity may be especially important in individuals with low cardiorespiratory fitness.