According to research released on Tuesday, even tiny daily activity bursts can benefit the heart, particularly in women.
According to a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, small bursts of intense activity in daily life, like climbing stairs or lugging a bag of groceries to the car, can significantly increase the risk of heart disease in people who don’t exercise.
The study contributes to an expanding collection of data demonstrating the positive health effects of even little exercise. According to experts, it might be especially helpful in the United States, where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 25% of Americans do not engage in any physical activity outside of work.
Dr. Meagan Wasfy, a sports cardiologist at Mass General Brigham in Boston who was not involved in the current study, stated that the main lesson is that it doesn’t matter how you move; what counts is that you move more.
The study examined data from over 22,000 self-reported nonexercisers, aged 40 to 69, from the UK Biobank. From 2013 to 2015, everyone wore an activity tracker for a week. The study found that women engaged in roughly nine short bursts of vigorous activity per day, whereas males engaged in an average of eleven, some lasting less than a minute. The study’s lead researcher, Emmanuel Stamatakis, a professor of physical activity, lifestyle, and population health at the University of Sydney, explained that vigorous activity meant it had high intensity.
Then, through November 2022, the researchers searched for any cases of heart attacks, cardiac failure, or stroke. During the follow-up period, 800 participants, a rather small number, experienced one of these serious heart issues. However, compared to women who did not register any strenuous exercise during the day, those who engaged in just under 3.5 minutes of vigorous movement each day had a 45% decreased risk of developing any heart issues.
Most significantly, compared to women who did not engage in any vigorous activity, these women had a nearly 70% lower risk of developing heart failure and a more than 50% lower risk of having a heart attack.
The benefit was less for men. They had a 16% lower chance of developing a serious cardiac condition if they engaged in strenuous exercise for roughly 5.5 minutes each day. However, there was no obvious advantage when the researchers separated out specific heart problems like heart attack or stroke.
According to Wasfy of Boston’s Mass General Brigham, persons who don’t currently frequently exercise benefit most from little bursts of activity in daily life.
According to her, the biggest reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease occurs when you start moving.
Women also get better value for their money when it comes to the amount of time they spend exercising, which may help to explain why study participants who engaged in less intense physical exercise experienced higher reductions in their risk of heart disease.
According to Wasfy, women can benefit from exercise in the same ways as men, albeit at lesser dosages.
According to Carol Ewing Garber, a professor of movement science and education at Columbia University in New York City, quick bursts of activity are important for heart health because they break long sequences of sedentary behavior.
Garber advised those who have desk jobs to get up and go for a walk on a regular basis, saying that breaking up one’s activities during the day might have a significant impact on blood glucose levels.
Garber emphasized that individuals should continue to aim for at least 150 minutes of intentional activity each week.
“I would hate for people to think they can avoid heart disease by doing this for just a few minutes a day,” he said.
People should try to include these spontaneous, brief bursts of exercise into their daily lives, according to Stamatakis, the study’s author.
According to him, we are discussing consistent and frequent conduct rather than a band-aid solution that people can use once every few days.
According to Stamatakis, the little amounts of activity are not the most crucial factor. The activity’s constancy is the most significant finding.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!