Friday, Feb. 11, 2022
Does the human heart have a limited number of heartbeats, making it pointless to exercise?
The claim that a doctor advises there's no point to exercising because you'll use up your fixed number of heartbeats faster has been circulating online since at least 2009.
Research has instead shown that the heart does not stop beating because it has reached its limit of heartbeats; rather, it stops beating because it weakens.
Although exercise does lessen the body's glycogen stores, that energy is restored through proper intake of food and water.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Mayo Clinic Eating and exercise: 5 tips to maximize your workouts
- American Heart Association American Heart Association Recommendations for Physical Activity in Adults and Kids
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Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.
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