560-610 minutes of exercise a week needed for substantial heart benefits
8 hours ago
- #exercise guidelines
- #cardiovascular health
- #cardiorespiratory fitness
- A study suggests adults should aim for 560 to 610 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous physical activity to substantially reduce cardiovascular risk, exceeding current guidelines of 150 minutes.
- Cardiorespiratory fitness, measured by VO2 max, strongly predicts cardiovascular health. Less fit individuals require more exercise—up to 30–50 extra minutes weekly—to achieve benefits equivalent to those with high fitness.
- Current exercise guidelines offer a universal minimum of protection. However, personalized targets based on fitness levels are recommended for optimal risk reduction, highlighting the need for stratified public health advice.
- The findings, from an observational study of 17,088 UK Biobank participants, emphasize that low fitness increases risks of heart attack, stroke, and early death. Only 12% of participants met the higher exercise threshold for substantial protection.