Summary—In 1995 the American College of Sports Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published national guidelines on Physical Activity and Public Health The Committee on Exercise and Cardiac Rehabilitation of the American Heart Association endorsed and supported these recommendations The purpose of the present report is to update and clarify the 1995 recommendations on the types and amounts of physical activity needed by healthy adults to improve and maintain health Development of this document was by an expert panel of scientists, including physicians, epidemiologists, exercise scientists, and public health specialists This panel reviewed advances in pertinent physiologic, epidemiologic, and clinical scientific data, including primary research articles and reviews published since the original recommendation was issued in 1995 Issues considered by the panel included new scientific evidence relating physical activity to health, physical activity recommendations by various organizations in the interim, and communications issues Key points related to updating the physical activity recommendation were outlined and writing groups were formed A draft manuscript was prepared and circulated for review to the expert panel as well as to outside experts Comments were integrated into the final recommendation Primary Recommendation—To promote and maintain health, all healthy adults aged 18 to 65 yr need moderate-intensity aerobic (endurance) physical activity for a minimum of 30 min on five days each week or vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity for a minimum of 20 min on three days each week [I (A)] Combinations of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity can be performed to meet this recommendation [IIa (B)] For example, a person can meet the recommendation by walking briskly for 30 min twice during the week and then jogging for 20 min on two other days Moderate-intensity aerobic activity, which is generally equivalent to a brisk walk and noticeably accelerates the heart rate, can be accumulated toward the 30-min minimum by performing bouts each lasting 10 or more minutes [I (B)] Vigorous-intensity activity is exemplified by jogging, and causes rapid breathing and a substantial increase in heart rate In addition, every adult should perform activities that maintain or increase muscular strength and endurance a minimum of two days each week [IIa (A)] Because of the dose-response relation between physical activity and health, persons who wish to further improve their personal fitness, reduce their risk for chronic diseases and disabilities or prevent unhealthy weight gain may benefit by exceeding the minimum recommended amounts of physical activity [I (A)] (Circulation 2007;116:1081-1093)

/pdf/physical-activity-and-public-health-updated-recommendation-5ar650n64d.pdf

Physical Activity and Public Health Updated Recommendation for Adults From the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association

Summary: In 1995 the American College of Sports Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published national guidelines on Physical Activity and Public Health. The Committee on Exercise and Cardiac Rehabilitation of the American Heart Association endorsed and supported these recommendations. The purpose of the present report is to update and clarify the 1995 recommendations on the types and amounts of physical activity needed by healthy adults to improve and maintain health. Development of this document was by an expert panel of scientists, including physicians, epidemiologists, exercise scientists, and public health specialists. This panel reviewed advances in pertinent physiologic, epidemiologic, and clinical scientific data, including primary research articles and reviews published since the original recommendation was issued in 1995. Issues considered by the panel included new scientific evidence relating physical activity to health, physical activity recommendations by various organizations in the interim, and communications issues. Key points related to updating the physical activity recommendation were outlined and writing groups were formed. A draft manuscript was prepared and circulated for review to the expert panel as well as to outside experts. Comments were integrated into the final recommendation.

Primary Recommendation: To promote and maintain health, all healthy adults aged 18 to 65 yr need moderate-intensity aerobic (endurance) physical activity for a minimum of 30 min on five days each week or vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity for a minimum of 20 min on three days each week. [I (A)] Combinations of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity can be performed to meet this recommendation. [IIa (B)] For example, a person can meet the recommendation by walking briskly for 30 min twice during the week and then jogging for 20 min on two other days. Moderate-intensity aerobic activity, which is generally equivalent to a brisk walk and noticeably accelerates the heart rate, can be accumulated toward the 30-min minimum by performing bouts each lasting 10 or more minutes. [I (B)] Vigorous-intensity activity is exemplified by jogging, and causes rapid breathing and a substantial increase in heart rate. In addition, every adult should perform activities that maintain or increase muscular strength and endurance a minimum of two days each week. [IIa (A)] Because of the dose-response relation between physical activity and health, persons who wish to further improve their personal fitness, reduce their risk for chronic diseases and disabilities or prevent unhealthy weight gain may benefit by exceeding the minimum recommended amounts of physical activity. [I (A)]

Physical activity and public health: updated recommendation for adults from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association.

Coronary atherosclerosis is by far the most frequent cause of ischemic heart disease, and plaque disruption with superimposed thrombosis is the main cause of the acute coronary syndromes of unstable angina, myocardial infarction, and sudden death.1 2 3 4 5 Therefore, for event-free survival, the vital question is not why atherosclerosis develops but rather why, after years of indolent growth, it suddenly becomes complicated by life-threatening thrombosis. The composition and vulnerability of plaque rather than its volume or the consequent severity of stenosis produced have emerged as being the most important determinants for the development of the thrombus-mediated acute coronary syndromes; lipid-rich and soft plaques are more dangerous than collagen-rich and hard plaques because they are more unstable and rupture-prone and highly thrombogenic after disruption.6 This review will explore potential mechanisms responsible for the sudden conversion of a stable atherosclerotic plaque to an unstable and life-threatening atherothrombotic lesion—an event known as plaque fissuring, rupture, or disruption.7 8 

Atherosclerosis is the result of a complex interaction between blood elements, disturbed flow, and vessel wall abnormality, involving several pathological processes: inflammation, with increased endothelial permeability, endothelial activation, and monocyte recruitment9 10 11 12 13 14 ; growth, with smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation, migration, and matrix synthesis15 16 ; degeneration, with lipid accumulation17 18 ; necrosis, possibly related to the cytotoxic effect of oxidized lipid19 ; calcification/ossification, which may represent an active rather than a dystrophic process20 21 ; and thrombosis, with platelet recruitment and fibrin formation.1 22 23 Thrombotic factors may play a role early during atherogenesis, but a flow-limiting thrombus does not develop until mature plaques are present, which is why thrombosis often is classified as a complication rather than a genuine component of atherosclerosis. 

### Mature Plaques: Atherosis and Sclerosis 

As the name atherosclerosis implies, mature …

Coronary Plaque Disruption

2014 AHA/ACC Guideline for the Management of Patients With Non–ST-Elevation Acute Coronary Syndromes A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines

The purpose of this report is to provide revised standards and guidelines for the exercise testing and training of individuals who are free from clinical manifestations of cardiovascular disease and those with known cardiovascular disease. These guidelines are intended for physicians, nurses, exercise physiologists, specialists, technologists, and other healthcare professionals involved in exercise testing and training of these populations. This report is in accord with the “Statement on Exercise” published by the American Heart Association (AHA).1

These guidelines are a revision of the 1995 standards of the AHA that addressed the issues of exercise testing and training.2 An update of background, scientific rationale, and selected references is provided, and current issues of practical importance in the clinical use of these standards are considered. These guidelines are in accord with the American College of Cardiology (ACC)/AHA Guidelines for Exercise Testing.3

### The Cardiovascular Response to Exercise

Exercise, a common physiological stress, can elicit cardiovascular abnormalities that are not present at rest, and it can be used to determine the adequacy of cardiac function. Because exercise is only one of many stresses to which humans can be exposed, it is more appropriate to call an exercise test exactly that and not a “stress test.” This is particularly relevant considering the increased use of nonexercise stress tests.

### Types of Exercise

Three types of muscular contraction or exercise can be applied as a stress to the cardiovascular system: isometric (static), isotonic (dynamic or locomotory), and resistance (a combination of isometric and isotonic).4,5 Isotonic exercise, which is defined as a muscular contraction resulting in movement, primarily provides a volume load to the left ventricle, and the response is proportional to the size of the working muscle mass and the intensity of exercise. Isometric exercise is defined as a muscular contraction without movement (eg, handgrip) and imposes greater pressure than volume …

Exercise Standards for Testing and Training A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

Background Despite anecdotal evidence suggesting that heavy physical exertion can trigger the onset of acute myocardial infarction, there have been no controlled studies of the risk of myocardial infarction during and after heavy exertion, the length of time between heavy exertion and the onset of symptoms (induction time), and whether the risk can be modified by regular physical exertion. To address these questions, we collected data from patients with confirmed myocardial infarction on their activities one hour before the onset of myocardial infarction and during control periods. Methods Interviews with 1228 patients conducted an average of four days after myocardial infarction provided data on their usual annual frequency of physical activity and the time, type, and intensity of physical exertion in the 26 hours before the onset of myocardial infarction. We compared the observed frequency of heavy exertion (6 or more metabolic equivalents) with the expected values using two types of self-matched analys...

https://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJM199312023292301

Triggering of acute myocardial infarction by heavy physical exertion. Protection against triggering by regular exertion. Determinants of Myocardial Infarction Onset Study Investigators

Background Many anecdotes and several uncontrolled case series have suggested that emotionally stressful events, and more specifically, anger, immediately precede and appear to trigger the onset of acute myocardial infarction. However, controlled studies to determine the relative risk of myocardial infarction after episodes of anger have not been reported. Methods and Results We interviewed 1623 patients (501 women) an average of 4 days after myocardial infarction. The interview identified the time, place, and quality of myocardial infarction pain and other symptoms, the estimated usual frequency of anger during the previous year, and the intensity and timing of anger and other potentially triggering factors during the 26 hours before the onset of myocardial infarction. Anger was assessed by the onset anger scale, a single-item, seven-level, self-report scale, and the state anger subscale of the State-Trait Personality Inventory. Occurrence of anger in the 2 hours preceding the onset of myocardial infarct...

Triggering of acute myocardial infarction onset by episodes of anger. Determinants of Myocardial Infarction Onset Study Investigators.

Background—Marijuana use in the age group prone to coronary artery disease is higher than it was in the past. Smoking marijuana is known to have hemodynamic consequences, including a dose-dependent...

Triggering Myocardial Infarction by Marijuana

Background—Cocaine has been implicated as a trigger of acute myocardial infarction in patients with and those without underlying coronary atherosclerosis. However, the magnitude of the increase in risk of acute myocardial infarction immediately after cocaine use remains unknown. Methods and Results—In the Determinants of Myocardial Infarction Onset Study, we interviewed 3946 patients (1282 women) with acute myocardial infarction an average of 4 days after infarction onset. Data were collected on the use of cocaine and other potential triggers of myocardial infarction. We compared the reported use of cocaine in the hour preceding the onset of myocardial infarction symptoms with its expected frequency by using self-matched control data based on the case-crossover study design. Of the 3946 patients interviewed, 38 (1%) reported cocaine use in the prior year and 9 reported use within the 60 minutes preceding the onset of infarction symptoms. Compared with nonusers, cocaine users were more likely to be male (8...

Triggering of Myocardial Infarction by Cocaine

Objective. —To determine the relative risks of nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI) triggered by sexual activity among the general population and in patients with prior coronary heart disease. Design. —Relative risks and effect modification were calculated by the case-crossover method, a new epidemiologic technique designed to quantify the transient change in risk following exposure to a potential disease trigger. Setting/Participants. —A total of 1774 patients with MI were interviewed in 45 hospitals throughout the United States. Data were gathered on potential triggers of MI occurring immediately prior to the event and during the previous year. Results are presented for the 858 patients who were sexually active in the year prior to the Ml, with attention to the 273 patients who had coronary artery disease prior to their index Ml, and the effect of regular exertion on risk. Main Outcome Measure. —The relative risk of nonfatal MI following sexual activity. Results. —Of the 858 patients, 79 (9%) reported sexual activity in the 24 hours preceding Ml, and 27 (3%) reported sexual activity in the 2 hours preceding onset of symptoms of MI. The relative risk of MI occurring in the 2 hours after sexual activity was 2.5 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.7-3.7). The relative risk of triggering onset of Ml among patients with a history of prior angina (2.1 [95% CI, 0.8-5.8]) or prior Ml (2.9 [95% CI, 1.3-6.5) was not greater than that observed in those without prior cardiac disease. Sexual activity was a likely contributor to the onset of Ml in only 0.9% of cases and regular exertion was associated with decreasing risk. Conclusions. —Sexual activity can trigger the onset of MI. However, the relative risk is low, and since the absolute hourly risk of MI is extremely low, the absolute risk increase caused by sexual activity also is extremely low (1 chance in a million for a healthy individual). Moreover, the relative risk is not increased in patients with a prior history of cardiac disease and regular exercise appears to prevent triggering. These findings should be useful for counseling patients and decreasing the fear of sexual activity that often prevents complete rehabilitation from cardiovascular disease. ( JAMA . 1996;275:1405-1409)

Jane B. Sherwood

Papers

Triggering of acute myocardial infarction by heavy physical exertion. Protection against triggering by regular exertion. Determinants of Myocardial Infarction Onset Study Investigators

Triggering of acute myocardial infarction onset by episodes of anger. Determinants of Myocardial Infarction Onset Study Investigators.

Triggering Myocardial Infarction by Marijuana

Triggering of Myocardial Infarction by Cocaine

Triggering Myocardial Infarction by Sexual Activity: Low Absolute Risk and Prevention by Regular Physical Exertion