The More Exercise the Better When It Comes to Heart Health

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of mortality around the world, accounting for some 17.9 million deaths a year. It’s long been known that being physically active can prevent heart attacks and strokes but recent research suggests that exercise is more important than previously thought—and the more of it, the better.

The study, led by a team from the University of Oxford, involved over 90,000 participants aged 40 to 69. They all wore accelerometers and were tracked for five years. The top 25% of the group did about 50 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity while those in the bottom quarter did less than 10 minutes.

About 3,600 cases of cardiovascular disease developed, with the number of cases decreasing in those who were more physically active. Those who were most active in the top quarter of the group had a 48-57% reduced risk of developing the disease. It appeared there was no upper limit at which the effects of exercise stopped being effective in improving cardiovascular health.

While the more active participants were less likely to smoke, drank less alcohol, and had a healthy body mass index, this was factored into the analysis, suggesting that exercise alone can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

An author of the study, which was published in PLOS Medicine, and professor emeritus of epidemiology at the University of Oxford, Terence Dwyer, said that because pandemic lockdowns have limited people’s movement, it’s important that they be purposeful in getting sufficient exercise. “Our findings should give them more confidence that this is something they really should pay attention to,” he said.

The World Health Organization recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity a week.