Walk at a fast pace for a healthy heart

Walking a little faster or for a few extra blocks may be good for older adults' hearts, says a new study. Modest physical activity was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This was true even among men and women older than age 75. Those who were more active had significantly lower risk of future heart attacks and stroke. Adults who walked at a pace faster than three miles per hour (mph) had a 50 per cent, 53per cent, 50per cent lower risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and total CVD, compared to those who walked at a slower pace. Those who walked an average of seven blocks per day had a lower risk of CHD, stroke and total CVD, respectively, compared to those who walked less. Those who did activities such as lawn-mowing, raking, gardening, swimming, biking and hiking, also had a lower risk of CHD, stroke and total CVD. The study appears in Circulation. — Agencies

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Cut Down On sitting Time -- A Tip for Heart Patients

Previous research has shown that being sedentary increases the risk of cardiovascular disease but until now its effect on patients with established heart disease was unknown.

"Limiting the amount of time we spend sitting may be as important as the amount we exercise," said study lead author Stephanie Prince from University of Ottawa in Canada.

"Sitting, watching TV, working at a computer and driving in a car are all sedentary behaviours and we need to take breaks from them," Prince explained.

If you are suffering from ailments related to the heart, make it a point to get up and move every half an hour as researchers have found that patients with heart disease who sit a lot have worse health even if they exercise.

The current study investigated levels of sedentary behaviour and the effect on health in 278 patients with coronary artery disease. 

The study was published in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention.
Patients wore an activity monitor during their waking hours for nine days. The monitors allowed the researchers to measure how long patients spent being sedentary, or doing light, moderate or vigorous levels of physical activity.

The researchers also assessed various markers of health including body mass index (BMI) and cardio-respiratory fitness. Next they looked at whether the amount of time a person spent being sedentary (which was mainly sitting) was related to these markers of health.


The results showed that patients who sat more had a higher BMI. They also had lower cardio-respiratory fitness.

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