9 Ιανουαρίου 2020, Born to move: Human hearts evolved to need exercise - Harvard Heart Letter

A unique study that compared the hearts of African great apes, native Central Americans, and American athletes sheds new light on the evolution and adaptability of the human heart. But the findings also have a practical message.
"They reinforce the importance of regular brisk walking or jogging throughout life to stay healthy as you age," says the study's senior author Dr. Aaron L. Baggish, director of the cardiac performance lab at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.
Published Oct. 1, 2019, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study included great apes (gorillas and chimpanzees) and four different groups of men: inactive men, endurance runners, football linemen, and Tarahumara Indians. All underwent heart function studies using ultrasounds done during various activities. The groups were specifically chosen to offer clues to heart function from an evolutionary perspective, says Dr. Baggish, whose collaborators include his friend and running partner Daniel Lieberman, professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard, and Dr. Robert Shave, an exercise physiologist from the University of British Columbia.

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