People with chronic heart failure benefit from exercise -- study

(Chicago-AP) -- A study says exercise can help patients with chronic heart failure.<br><br>The German study says exercise may improve circulation and increase the amount of blood pumped by the heart.<br><br>In

Tuesday, June 20th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Chicago-AP) -- A study says exercise can help patients with chronic heart failure.

The German study says exercise may improve circulation and increase the amount of blood pumped by the heart.

In heart failure, the heart's ability to pump is weak. But the six-month study found carefully designed endurance training can improve heart function. It also found lack of exercise speeds up the rate of physical deconditioning and may worsen heart failure symptoms.

However, researchers say the study was limited because it involved only one center, only men, and patients with a relatively young average age of 55.

The report is in The Journal of the American Medical Association.