The public could soon be urged to exercise for up to 90 minutes a day after major new research suggested current targets fall far short of what’s needed to significantly cut the risk of heart disease.
While the NHS recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, the study found higher levels of exercise were linked to a far greater reduction in the risk of heart attack, stroke and heart failure.
Researchers from China, writing in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, said their findings suggest a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to exercise may need to be reconsidered.
The team from Macao Polytechnic University analysed data from 17,088 UK Biobank participants, with an average age of 57, drawing on detailed medical and lifestyle information from volunteers across Britain.
To assess cardiovascular fitness, they examined participants’ estimated VO2 max – a key measure of how efficiently the body uses oxygen during exercise and a marker of heart and lung health.
Participants, more than half of whom were women, wore wrist devices to track their activity levels, while their VO2 max was monitored over seven consecutive days.
Researchers also accounted for factors such as smoking, alcohol intake, diet, overall health, body mass index, resting heart rate and blood pressure.
Over an average follow-up period of nearly eight years, 1,233 participants – around 7.2 per cent – experienced a cardiovascular event.
Researchers have found that exercising for 560 and 610 minutes per week – the equivalent of around 80 to 90 minutes per day – is required to significantly feel heart health benefits
Of these, 874 were cases of atrial fibrillation – an irregular 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 150-minute weekly target were found to be around eight to nine per cent less likely to experience such an event.
By contrast, those exercising for between 560 and 610 minutes per week saw their risk reduced by around 30 per cent – though only 11.6 per cent of participants reached this level.
The study also found that people with the lowest fitness levels needed an additional 30 to 50 minutes of exercise per week, on average, to achieve the same cardiovascular benefits as fitter individuals.
For example, achieving a 20 per cent reduction in cardiovascular risk required 370 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise per week for those with the lowest fitness levels, compared with 340 minutes for those with the highest.
As the study was observational, it cannot prove that exercise directly caused the reduced risk in cardiovascular events.
However, the researchers believe that their findings show that while the current 150–minute guideline is effective, advising certain people to exercise more often could be beneficial.
The NHS advises that adults should do some form of physical activity every day, but says exercising just once or twice a week can reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
This makes up their guidance to exercise for at least 150 minutes per week at moderate to vigorous levels.
Moderate exercise, they say, ‘will raise your heart rate, and make you breathe faster and feel warmer.’
They add: ‘One way to tell if you’re working at a moderate intensity level is if you can still talk, but not sing.’
Vigorous exercise, meanwhile, ‘makes you breathe hard and fast’, the NHS says, adding: ‘You will not be able to say more than a few words without pausing for breath.’
