After people with heart disease exercise, sometimes their heart's ability to contract properly is disturbed for a half hour or so. If they exercise again soon after the first period, their ECGs look better and they are less likely to suffer angina. This is called the "warm-up effect."

A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology investigated whether this "warm-up effect" also protected these individuals from malfunctioning of the left ventricle of the heart. They had 32 patients with heart disease take 2 exercise tests 30 minutes apart and used angiography to examine their heart's functioning. Sure enough, the warm-up effect did keep their heart contracting normally.

The researchers suggested that the processes involved in this phenomenon might serve as a basis for new therapeutic approaches to heart disease. Meanwhile, keep it in mind if you experience pain after exercise, and consider a warm-up period followed by a rest period before you undertake your exercise program.

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