Exercise could repair heart damage The team from Liverpool John Moores University said they would now study the effects on mice which had suffered heart attacks to determine whether it could have an even greater benefit. Dr Georgina Ellison, who led the study, said: "The exercise is increasing the growth factors which are activating the stem cells to go on and repair the heart, and this is the first time that this potential has been shown. We hope it might be even more effective in damaged hearts because you have got more reason to replace the large amount of cells that are lost. Although some patients with severe heart damage may not be capable of intensive exercise, Dr Ellison said a significant number would easily be able to jog or cycle for 30 minutes a day without risking their health. "In a normal cardiac rehabilitation programme patients do undertake exercise, but what we are saying is maybe to be more effective it needs to be carried out at a higher intensity, in order to activate the resident stem cells," she said. (SUBS PLEASE KEEP AT LEAST SOME OF THE BELOW COMMENT FROM BHF) Prof Jeremy Pearson, associate medical director of the British Heart Foundation, which funded the research, said: "This study adds to the growing evidence that adult hearts may be able to make new muscle from dormant stem cells. However, much more research is now needed to find out whether what's been seen in this study can be translated into treatments for human patients.