Scientists reveal how much exercise you really need to protect your heart
Getting the recommended 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise each week may offer only modest protection against heart attacks and strokes. A large study suggests that substantially greater benefits may require roughly 560 to 610 minutes a week—nearly 9 to 10 hours of brisk walking, running, cycling, or similar activity.
Recent research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests that adults may require significantly more weekly exercise than previously thought to notably reduce their risk of heart attacks and strokes. The study found that 560 to 610 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week, roughly three to four times more than the current 150-minute recommendation, is necessary to achieve substantial cardiovascular protection.
Moderate-to-vigorous activities encompass activities like brisk walking, running, and cycling. The study also indicates that individuals with lower fitness levels might need to exercise more than those with high fitness levels to obtain similar cardiovascular benefits. The findings imply that the current "one-size-fits-all" approach to exercise recommendations may need to be reconsidered, and future guidelines could incorporate personalized activity targets based on an individual's fitness level.
Cardiorespiratory fitness, which varies widely among individuals, serves as a strong indicator of cardiovascular health and has been linked to a higher risk of heart attacks, strokes, and early death. The research involved 17,088 participants from the UK Biobank study, with an average age of 57. After an average follow-up period of 7.8 years, there were 1,233 cardiovascular events, including 874 cases of atrial fibrillation, 156 myocardial infarctions, 111 heart failures, and 92 strokes.
Adults who met the guideline of 150 minutes of exercise per week had an 8 to 9% lower cardiovascular risk, but achieving substantial protection (a reduction in risk of more than 30%) required 560 to 610 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity per week. People with lower fitness levels needed about 30 to 50 additional minutes of exercise per week compared to highly fit participants to achieve the same benefits.
While the research cannot definitively establish that higher exercise levels directly caused the lower cardiovascular risk, the study supports current exercise guidelines as a minimum measure for cardiovascular protection and suggests that more detailed recommendations could help motivated individuals increase their activity and gain greater heart health benefits.
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