Moderate exercise helps ease depression in patients with chronic congestive heart failure (CHF) and is also associated with a small reduction in death and hospitalizations. Even the failing heart can be strengthened by exercise as measured by peak oxygen consumption and longer duration of exercise that is done carefully under the supervision of a qualified physician.
Clinical depression may affect as many as 40% of the 5 million people with CHF and many studies have linked worse clinical outcomes for people with heart attacks, unstable angina, coronary bypass surgery and CHF.
A clinical trial at Duke University Medical Center that was published in the August issue of JAMA documented these findings after just 30 minutes of moderate exercise three times a week for one year. This is much better and safer way to increase cardiac output than with drugs and surgery.
