Scandinavian researchers have clashed over the best type of exercise for people with health problems.
A Danish study recommends moderate exercise as the best approach for people who are obese.
But Norwegian researchers report a study showing that high intensity exercise can help people with heart disease.
The Danish study found that 30 minutes of daily exercise was better than an hour of hard fitness training in helping people lose weight.
Writing in the Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, they report a study of 60 overweight men seeking to lose weight.
The researchers at Copenhagen University say the reason seems to be that those who undertook moderate exercise proved more motivated and were more active throughout the day than those who were exhausted by intense exercise.
Researcher Astrid Jespersen said: "The subjects in the test group that exercised the least talk about increased energy levels and a higher motivation for exercising and pursuing a healthy everyday life.
"They take the stairs, take the dog for an extra walk or cycle to work. In contrast, the men who exercised for one hour a day, after training, felt exhausted, demotivated and less open to making a healthy change."
Meanwhile in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, Norwegian researchers say high intensity exercise can be safe for people with heart disease, including those with angina.
They studied programmes known as 4×4 exercises, meaning that participants undertake four minutes of high intensity exercise and three minutes of moderate exercise, four times.
Researcher Trine Moholdt, of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, studied the effect of the programme on more than 100 patients.
The researcher said: "When people give priority to exercise in their otherwise busy lives, they want to know that they are doing it the right way. At the same time, I want to emphasise that all exercise is better than none!
"Some people are not able to exercise at high intensity because of other health problems, and one should then look for other alternatives."
Scandinavian Journal of Public Health September 2013
The higher the better? Interval training intensity in coronary heart disease. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 12 August 2013. [abstract]
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