#090 How Exercise Prevents & Reverses Heart Aging | Benjamin Levine, M.D.
05/28/24 • 151 min
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Today's guest, Dr. Benjamin Levine, has shown that with the right exercise protocol, people who were sedentary most of their lives could reverse up to 20 years of heart aging. Dr. Levine is one of the world's leading experts in understanding how the heart adapts under a variety of conditions, whether that's exercise, elite athleticism, or hospital bedrest. Or even highly exotic conditions, like prolonged exposure to microgravity. He is the founding director of the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at UT Southwestern in Dallas.
Timestamps
- (00:00) Introduction
- (06:21) Bed rest vs. aging
- (11:40) Does exercise protect against long COVID?
- (17:14) How 12 weeks of bed rest affects heart size
- (18:42) Why a brand-new rubber band mimics a lifetime of endurance training
- (22:14) The exercise dose that preserves youthful cardiovascular structure
- (24:22) The exercise regimen that reversed 20 years of heart aging
- (28:05) What it takes to reverse vascular age by 15 years
- (33:29) Benefits of starting an exercise regimen in your 70s
- (39:17) Risks of high-intensity exercise
- (42:42) Balancing high-intensity & moderate-intensity training
- (47:39) Training for health vs. training for performance
- (49:58) Make exercise a part of your personal hygiene
- (51:01) Why does VO2 max correlate with longevity?
- (58:29) The 2018 JAMA study on cardiorespiratory fitness & mortality
- (1:04:06) How does change in fitness over time affect mortality?
- (1:06:19) Why exercise non-responders should consider "increasing the dose"
- (1:10:08) The 2 limiting factors for improving VO2 max in competitive athletes
- (1:17:20) Heart adaptations in purely strength-trained vs. endurance athletes
- (1:23:09) Why pure strength-trainers should incorporate endurance training
- (1:26:53) How strength training affects blood pressure
- (1:31:27) How exercise influences cardiac output in mitochondrial myopathy patients
- (1:33:25) Does CrossFit count as endurance training?
- (1:35:50) What's the best exercise for improving blood pressure?
- (1:40:57) Lifestyle strategies for treating hypertension
- (1:43:26) Why recovery is key to reaping the benefits of a training stimulus
- (1:47:22) The best indicator of being overtrained
- (1:54:46) Why HRV is a poor indicator of recovery
- (2:00:02) Why do men tend to be faster runners than women?
- (2:03:34) Can women achieve similar aerobic exercise benefits doing 2x less than men?
- (2:05:06) Are there cardiovascular benefits of HRT in women?
- (2:08:45) Exercise volume vs. coronary plaque calcification
- (2:15:35) How exercise duration & intensity affect coronary calcium levels
- (2:18:48) Why high exercise duration & intensity increases risk of Afib
- (2:26:00) Why you shouldn't become an endurance athlete to "live longer"
Download the 13-Page "Omega-3 Supplementation Guide"
Discover my premium podcast, The Aliquot
Join over 300,000 people and sign up for my newsletter
Today's guest, Dr. Benjamin Levine, has shown that with the right exercise protocol, people who were sedentary most of their lives could reverse up to 20 years of heart aging. Dr. Levine is one of the world's leading experts in understanding how the heart adapts under a variety of conditions, whether that's exercise, elite athleticism, or hospital bedrest. Or even highly exotic conditions, like prolonged exposure to microgravity. He is the founding director of the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at UT Southwestern in Dallas.
Timestamps
- (00:00) Introduction
- (06:21) Bed rest vs. aging
- (11:40) Does exercise protect against long COVID?
- (17:14) How 12 weeks of bed rest affects heart size
- (18:42) Why a brand-new rubber band mimics a lifetime of endurance training
- (22:14) The exercise dose that preserves youthful cardiovascular structure
- (24:22) The exercise regimen that reversed 20 years of heart aging
- (28:05) What it takes to reverse vascular age by 15 years
- (33:29) Benefits of starting an exercise regimen in your 70s
- (39:17) Risks of high-intensity exercise
- (42:42) Balancing high-intensity & moderate-intensity training
- (47:39) Training for health vs. training for performance
- (49:58) Make exercise a part of your personal hygiene
- (51:01) Why does VO2 max correlate with longevity?
- (58:29) The 2018 JAMA study on cardiorespiratory fitness & mortality
- (1:04:06) How does change in fitness over time affect mortality?
- (1:06:19) Why exercise non-responders should consider "increasing the dose"
- (1:10:08) The 2 limiting factors for improving VO2 max in competitive athletes
- (1:17:20) Heart adaptations in purely strength-trained vs. endurance athletes
- (1:23:09) Why pure strength-trainers should incorporate endurance training
- (1:26:53) How strength training affects blood pressure
- (1:31:27) How exercise influences cardiac output in mitochondrial myopathy patients
- (1:33:25) Does CrossFit count as endurance training?
- (1:35:50) What's the best exercise for improving blood pressure?
- (1:40:57) Lifestyle strategies for treating hypertension
- (1:43:26) Why recovery is key to reaping the benefits of a training stimulus
- (1:47:22) The best indicator of being overtrained
- (1:54:46) Why HRV is a poor indicator of recovery
- (2:00:02) Why do men tend to be faster runners than women?
- (2:03:34) Can women achieve similar aerobic exercise benefits doing 2x less than men?
- (2:05:06) Are there cardiovascular benefits of HRT in women?
- (2:08:45) Exercise volume vs. coronary plaque calcification
- (2:15:35) How exercise duration & intensity affect coronary calcium levels
- (2:18:48) Why high exercise duration & intensity increases risk of Afib
- (2:26:00) Why you shouldn't become an endurance athlete to "live longer"
Previous Episode
#089 Why Exercise Intensity Matters for Longevity | CrossFit for Health 2024
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I recently had the privilege of presenting at the CrossFit Health Summit, where I explored a constellation of factors contributing to longevity. In this context, I placed a special emphasis on the pivotal role of vigorous exercise throughout life.
Timestamps
- (00:00) Introduction
- (03:12) Why "below normal" cardio may be a great starting point
- (05:07) The simple math of 45 days of life extension (per 1 mL/kg/min VO2max)
- (06:12) Why poor cardiovascular fitness is nearly as bad as a chronic disease
- (06:52) Why zone 2 training may not improve VO2 max
- (08:08) Protocols for improving VO2 max quickly
- (09:10) How to estimate VO2 max in 12 minutes;
- (10:07) Reversing 20 years of heart aging
- (12:41) Blood pressure benefits of vigorous exercise
- (13:29) The BDNF brain benefits of high-intensity exercise
- (14:05) The signaling role of lactate production by muscle
- (16:13) How training effortfully improves focus & attention
- (17:23) Anti-cancer effects of vigorous exercise
- (18:11) Why shear stress kills circulating tumor cells
- (19:00) What if you exercise in short bursts all day long?
- (20:06) Why "exercise snacks" are a crucial pre- and post-mealtime activity
- (20:49) The best ways to improve mitochondrial biogenesis
- (21:47) The mortality benefits of breaking up sedentary time
- (26:17) Why the protein RDA is too low
- (29:07) Does omega-3 reduce muscle atrophy?
- (30:41) Why we should lift for aging and to prevent the 8% per decade decline of muscle
- (32:03) Is lifting heavy necessary for gaining muscle?
- (33:06) What the sauna has in common with exercise
- (34:45) Does the sauna enhance the benefits of exercise?
- (36:44) How heat shock proteins prevent plaque aggregation & slow muscle atrophy
- (38:23) Can sauna after resistance training boost hypertrophy?
- (39:06) Optimal sauna parameters
- (39:59) Comparing traditional saunas to infrared
- (40:59) Hot baths vs. saunas
- (42:19) Is EPA or DHA responsible for omega-3's effects on disuse atrophy?
- (43:53) Are endurance athletes at risk for cardiovascular injury?
- (44:57) What mechanisms are responsible for sauna's benefits?
- (47:08) Is a sauna temperature above 200 F too hot?
- (49:31) My recommended sauna temperature & duration
Next Episode
#091 Andrew Huberman, PhD: How to Improve Motivation & Focus By Leveraging Dopamine
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Dr. Andrew Huberman is a Stanford professor, neurobiologist, and host of the incredibly popular Huberman Lab Podcast. He’s also the guest on this episode of the FoundMyFitness podcast. Our conversation encompasses an in-depth discussion of the brain’s dopamine system and provides a toolkit for enhancing motivation and focus.
Timestamps
- (00:00) Introduction
- (07:58) Dopamine's Neuromodulatory Role
- (09:50) Motivation vs. Reward
- (14:56) Dopamine as a "Wave Pool"
- (20:19) Minimizing Smartphone Dopamine Effects
- (23:53) Dangers of Effortless Dopamine Peaks
- (27:13) Signs of High Motivation
- (29:20) Dopamine Reward Prediction Error
- (38:21) Warm-Up Period for Focus and Motivation
- (42:37) Rewarding Effort
- (53:12) Fostering Tenacity in Kids
- (55:26) Visualizing Negative Outcomes
- (58:12) Overcoming Procrastination
- (1:04:12) Exercise's Impact on Dopamine
- (1:08:56) Cold Exposure vs. Drugs
- (1:10:50) Exercise Entrainment Effect
- (1:14:45) Dangers of Relying on Stimulants
- (1:22:13) Cold exposure
- (1:30:56) Limiting Workout Intensity
- (1:36:29) Anterior Midcingulate Cortex
- (1:38:52) Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
- (1:44:49) NSDR
- (1:59:36) Healthy Social Media Use
- (2:17:33) Circadian Rhythms and Solar Light
- (2:27:31) Limiting Late-Night Light Effects
- (2:30:30) Spiking Morning Cortisol
- (2:33:54) Long Distance Viewing vs. Screens
- (2:40:27) Limiting Alcohol Intake
- (2:54:08) ADHD
- (3:03:30) Replacing ADHD Drugs with Behaviors
- (3:05:21) Andrew's Weekly Workout Routine
- (3:11:04) Andrew's Diet & Supplement Routine
- (3:15:21) Andrew's Experimentation with Peptides
- (3:20:31) Processing Negative Feedback
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