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Exercise or therapy could repair a broken heart, researchers find
The Guardian
|August 30, 2025
Doctors think they may have discovered the secret to mending a broken heart in a world-first clinical trial.
Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide live with Takotsubo syndrome, also known as broken heart syndrome, which causes the heart muscle to change shape and weaken. It is usually triggered by severe stress, such as losing a loved one.
Patients may have symptoms similar to a heart attack and face twice the risk of dying early compared with the general population. Some are left with heart failure, resulting in debilitating symptoms such as fatigue, as well as a shorter life expectancy. There is currently no cure.
Now doctors may have an answer. The world's first randomised controlled trial for the syndrome has found that 12 weeks of tailored cognitive behavioural therapy, or a heart recovery exercise programme involving swimming, cycling and aerobics, helped patients' hearts recover.
This story is from the August 30, 2025 edition of The Guardian.
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