Coronary artery disease occurs with the development of hardening of the arteries that feed blood to the heart muscle. The deposits of cholesterol that harden these arteries also narrow the artery and limit the amount of blood that can flow through it. Exercise increases the heart rate. Normally this results in an increase in blood flow through the coronary arteries to provide oxygen for the exercising heart’s muscle. When this increase in blood flow fails to occur because of the narrowed arteries, pain in the chest, heart pain, is one result. This pain is called angina pectoris. The occurrence of artery narrowing rises with age. Coronary artery disease is a phenomenon of aging.
