The public may in future be advised to exercise for up to 90 minutes a day, after a new study suggests that current physical activity targets may be insufficient to significantly reduce the risk of heart disease.
Currently, the NHS recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week. However, the study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine shows that higher levels of activity are associated with a much greater reduction in the risk of heart attack, stroke and heart failure.
Researchers from China, led by a team from Macao Polytechnic University, analyzed data from 17,088 UK Biobank participants, with an average age of 57. They used detailed medical and lifestyle information from volunteers in Britain.
To measure cardiovascular fitness, the researchers assessed VO2 max, a key indicator that measures how efficiently the body uses oxygen during exercise and reflects the health of the heart and lungs.
Participants, more than half of them women, wore devices on their wrists to track their physical activity levels. VO2 max was monitored for seven consecutive days. The researchers also took into account other factors, such as smoking, alcohol, diet, general health, body mass index, resting heart rate and blood pressure.
During an average follow-up period of nearly eight years, 1,233 participants, about 7.2 percent, experienced a cardiovascular event. Of these, 874 were atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm disorder that can increase the risk of blood clots and stroke. There were also 156 heart attacks, 111 cases of heart failure and 92 strokes.
Those who met the target of 150 minutes of activity per week were about 8 to 9 percent less likely to have such an event. While people who exercised 560 to 610 minutes per week had about a 30 percent reduced risk. Only 11.6 percent of participants reached this level of activity.
The study also found that people with lower fitness levels needed an average of 30 to 50 minutes more exercise per week to get the same cardiovascular benefits as fitter people.
For example, to achieve a 20 percent reduction in cardiovascular risk, people with the lowest fitness levels needed to perform 370 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week, compared to 340 minutes for those with the highest fitness levels.
However, the authors emphasize that the study is observational and cannot directly prove that exercise was the cause of the reduced risk. They say the results suggest that the current guideline of 150 minutes is beneficial, but some people may benefit more if they are advised to exercise more often.
The NHS recommends that adults do some form of physical activity every day, while stressing that even exercising once or twice a week can help reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
According to the guidelines, moderate activity is one that increases your heart rate, makes you breathe faster, and makes you feel warmer. An easy way to tell is if you can talk during exercise but not sing.
Intense activity, on the other hand, makes you breathe quickly and heavily. At this level, you can't say more than a few words without stopping for breath.
The main message of the study is that any physical activity has value, but the greatest benefits for the heart may require more than the current minimum recommended. However, experts emphasize that increasing activity should be done gradually and in accordance with each person's health condition. /GazetaExpress/
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