The sudden death of Australian Iron man Dean Mercer has left many people asking how does a healthy athlete suffer a sudden cardiac arrest?
Aged 47, Mercer was active and seemed in peak physical fitness for a middle-aged Australian — although his medical history is unknown.
But Sydney cardiologist Dr Ross Walker has warned that too much exercise may not be healthy, especially after the age of 40.
As a heart specialist, Dr Walker is a proponent of preventative cardiology — informing patients how to best reduce activities that put them at risk of a heart attack or cardiac arrest.
He said while exercise was good for anyone, the problem for many was the amount of exercise.
“The dose of exercise for health should be somewhere between three to five hours per week,” he said.
