AHA: Exercise Significantly Improves Quality of Life Measures in Heart Failure Patients

This is actually a very instructive article. Just a couple of points for demonstration:

It describes why some research is performed. Money:

"...the HF-ACTION investigators chose the hard endpoint in the hope that they would have evidence needed to persuade third-party payers to reimburse for cardiac rehabilitation in heart failure."

It shows how spin is advocated to make data seem better:

"Clyde Yancy, M.D., president-elect of the American Heart Association and medical director of Baylor Heart and Vascular Institute at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, told MedPage Today that it was unfortunate that quality of life measures were not selected as the primary endpoint of the trial.

'If it had been quality of life rather than mortality we would all be praising evidence of the significant benefit of exercise in heart failure,' Dr. Yancy said."

Keep this in mind when you hear about studies and their conclusions, especially when reported by the MSM, a trade group, an advocacy organization or the researchers themselves.