Walking Won't Prevent Heart Disease
April 15, 2003 -- You can run, but you can't walk away from the risk of early death due to heart disease, according to a new study. Researchers found that low-intensity exercise such as walking may provide other health and mental benefits, but it isn't likely to ward off heart disease and premature death.
The study, published in the May 2003 issue of the journal Heart, suggests that only more strenuous exercise and physical activity, such as jogging, swimming, and climbing stairs, on a regular basis can significantly reduce the risk of early death due to heart disease.
Researchers say many studies have shown regularly engaging physical activity can help people live longer, healthier lives. But it's not clear what intensity of exercise provides the most consistent health benefits.
Current U.S. Surgeon General guidelines recommend that people engage in moderate exercise or physical activity, such as brisk walking, for at least 30 minutes most days of the week to reduce the risk of heart disease.
But some studies suggest that only vigorous exercise provides significant benefits in staving off heart-related death, while others say light and moderate physical activity, like walking, can also reduce the risk of heart disease and premature death.
In this study, researchers compared the intensity of leisure time physical activities and the risk of premature death among a group of 1,975 men with evidence of heart disease from Caerphilly, Wales, over a period of 11 years.
Researcher John Yarnell, MD, of Queens University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and colleagues asked the men about what type of non-work-related physical activity they usually participated in. The men were then were divided in to three categories according to the intensity of their usual form of exercise:
During the follow-up period, 252 men (13%) died. More than three-fourths of these deaths were attributed to heart disease and stroke and the rest were to cancer.
Aside from the cancer-related deaths, the study found that men in the least active group had the highest rates of premature death. But the men who engaged in the heaviest levels of exercise had the lowest risk of death from all causes as well as heart disease.
Walking Won't Prevent Heart Disease
Only Vigorous Exercise Prevents Premature Death
April 15, 2003 -- You can run, but you can't walk away from the risk of early death due to heart disease, according to a new study. Researchers found that low-intensity exercise such as walking may provide other health and mental benefits, but it isn't likely to ward off heart disease and premature death.
The study, published in the May 2003 issue of the journal Heart, suggests that only more strenuous exercise and physical activity, such as jogging, swimming, and climbing stairs, on a regular basis can significantly reduce the risk of early death due to heart disease.
Researchers say many studies have shown regularly engaging physical activity can help people live longer, healthier lives. But it's not clear what intensity of exercise provides the most consistent health benefits.
Current U.S. Surgeon General guidelines recommend that people engage in moderate exercise or physical activity, such as brisk walking, for at least 30 minutes most days of the week to reduce the risk of heart disease.
But some studies suggest that only vigorous exercise provides significant benefits in staving off heart-related death, while others say light and moderate physical activity, like walking, can also reduce the risk of heart disease and premature death.
In this study, researchers compared the intensity of leisure time physical activities and the risk of premature death among a group of 1,975 men with evidence of heart disease from Caerphilly, Wales, over a period of 11 years.
Researcher John Yarnell, MD, of Queens University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and colleagues asked the men about what type of non-work-related physical activity they usually participated in. The men were then were divided in to three categories according to the intensity of their usual form of exercise:
- Light -- Walking, bowling, and sailing
- Moderate -- Golf, digging, and dancing
- Heavy -- Climbing stairs, swimming, and jogging
During the follow-up period, 252 men (13%) died. More than three-fourths of these deaths were attributed to heart disease and stroke and the rest were to cancer.
Aside from the cancer-related deaths, the study found that men in the least active group had the highest rates of premature death. But the men who engaged in the heaviest levels of exercise had the lowest risk of death from all causes as well as heart disease.
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