New Study Reveals How Moderate to Vigorous Activity Benefits Heart Health
A recent study has found that moderate to vigorous activity throughout the day can significantly benefit heart health compared to sedentary behavior. The research, supported by the British Heart Foundation and published in the European Heart Journal, is the first to assess how different movement patterns throughout the 24-hour day are linked to heart health.
The study, conducted by researchers at UCL, analyzed data from over 15,000 individuals from five countries to see how movement behavior across the day is associated with heart health as measured by six common indicators. The findings revealed a hierarchy of behaviors that make up a typical 24-hour day, with time spent doing moderate-vigorous activity providing the most benefit to heart health.
Researchers found that small changes, such as replacing sitting with light activity, can improve heart metrics, with the intensity of movement playing a crucial role. In fact, replacing just 30 minutes of sedentary behavior with moderate activity can lead to measurable improvements in BMI and waist circumference.
Dr. Jo Blodgett, the study’s first author from UCL Surgery & Interventional Science and the Institute of Sport, Exercise & Health, emphasized the importance of intensity of movement, stating, “The big takeaway from our research is that while small changes to how you move can have a positive effect on heart health, intensity of movement matters.”
The research suggests that personalized activity recommendations can provide appropriate ways to enhance heart health for individuals, and that even modest increases in activity can lead to substantial improvements in heart health metrics.
According to the British Heart Foundation, cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of mortality globally, and in 2021, it was responsible for one in three deaths. With the number of people living with cardiovascular disease projected to rise further, the findings of this study hold crucial implications for improving heart health on a large scale.
Though the findings cannot infer causality between movement behaviors and cardiovascular outcomes, they contribute to a growing body of evidence linking moderate to vigorous physical activity over 24 hours with improved body fat metrics. Further long-term studies will be crucial to better understanding the associations between movement and cardiovascular outcomes.