20 minute walk good for heart problems
A recently conducted study shows how walking or cycling for 20 minutes a day can cut older men’s risk of heart failure by 20%.
The research that analysed 33,000 men between 1998 and 2012 found that the least physically active men are most at risk of developing heart failure. The condition happens when the heart becomes too weak to pump sufficient blood around the body.
When analysis of the most beneficial forms of activity was done, it showed that walking or cycling for 20 minutes a day was associated with the biggest risk reduction. It was more protective than a strenuous exercise. Too much exercise could increase the danger of aggravating the heart failure.
The men, who averaged 60, also filled out a questionnaire regarding their levels of exercise the previous year. They also recalled their activity levels when they were at the age of 30.
The research showed that recent activity level had a bigger impact on heart failure risk than activity earlier in life. The study did not look at women. But it is safe to assume that women may also benefit by becoming physically active.
Study author Andrea Bellavia, of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, said ‘Because participants also provided information about their physical activity at age 30, we were able to examine the long-term impacts of physical activity.’ We found that recent activity may be more important for heart failure protection than past physical activity levels.
The first incidence of heart failure in men was also later for those who actively walked or bicycled 20 minutes each day.
The research was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Heart Failure, suggested too little and too much activity may increase the relative risk of the condition.
Moderation seems to be the key when it comes to exercising to protect the heart.
Written by: Dr. Ajay Sati.
