Exercise, Quitting Smoking Helps Heart Attack Patients With Depression

Heart attack patients can reduce depressive symptoms by giving up smoking (if they smoke) and with exercise.

Recent findings published in the European Heart Journal examine just how important it is for recovering patients to reduce these symptoms and improve cardiovascular fitness, as it lowers an individual's risk of recurring issues.

"Depression is almost three times more common in people who have had a heart attack than in those who haven't," said Dr Manuela Abreu, a psychiatrist at the University of Lisbon, Portugal, in a news release. "Cardiac rehabilitation with aerobic exercise can reduce depressive symptoms and improve cardiovascular fitness."(1)

"Patients who are depressed after a heart attack have a two-fold risk of having another heart attack or dying compared to those who are not depressed," added Dr David Nanchen, head of the Prevention Centre, Department of Ambulatory Care and Community Medicine, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.

In this recent study, researchers analyzed data from 1,164 patients who were part of the Swiss Acute Coronary Syndromes (CS) cohort-a large, prospective multicenter study that focused on ACS in Switzerland. The patients were enrolled between 2009 and 2013. Afterward, the study authors followed up with them for one year.

Findings revealed that at the one year mark, roughly 27 percent of heart attack patients dealt with persistent or new depressive symptoms. Many of those dealing with depression were more likely to have diabetes, more likely to be smokers and less likely to be married than those who did not smoke.

However, researchers also found at the one year follow up period, smoking cessation marked the strongest improvement in lowering depression symptoms. For instance, those who quit smoking were 2.3 times more likely to improve their symptoms than those who continued smoking. Those who engaged in higher amounts of physical activity at the beginning of the study were also more likely to have improved their depression symptoms during the follow-up period.

Dr. Nanchen recommends that heart attack patients do moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise for 30 minutes at least three times a week. He also adds that it should be intense enough that patients "break out in a sweat." And, of course, no smoking. 

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