The risk of cardiovascular disease is reduced the more people undertake physical activity that is at least moderate, a new study out today has shown.
The study, led by researchers at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Leicester Biomedical Research Centre and University of Cambridge, analysed wrist-worn accelerometer-measured physical activity data from more than 88,000 UK Biobank participants.
Most large-scale studies have used questionnaires to determine participants’ physical activity levels, but physical activity intensity and duration is hard to recall accurately.
Dr Paddy Dempsey, research fellow at the University of Leicester and Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge, and first author on the paper, said: “Without accurate records of physical activity duration and intensity it hasn’t been possible to sort out the contribution of more vigorous physical activity from that of overall physical activity volume.
“Wearable devices helped us to accurately detect and record the intensity and duration of movement for 90,000 individual UK Biobank participants.”
Writing in the European Heart Journal, the researchers describe investigating the association between physical activity volume and intensity and cardiovascular disease incidence in 88,412 middle-aged adults free from cardiovascular disease in Great Britain.
They each wore a research-grade activity tracker on their dominant wrist for a week while taking part in the UK Biobank study.
The movement data was used to calculate the total volume of activity, and the team also worked out the percentage that was achieved through moderate and vigorous intensity activity.
The number of cardiovascular events, including ischaemic heart disease or cerebrovascular disease, was then recorded among study participants over an average of follow-up period of 6.8 years.
Total physical activity volume was strongly associated with a decrease in cardiovascular disease risk, and the team also found getting more of the total physical activity volume from moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was associated with a further reduction in cardiovascular risk.
Cardiovascular disease rates were 14% lower when moderate-to-vigorous physical activity accounted for 20% rather than 10% of overall physical activity energy expenditure, even in those that otherwise had low levels of activity. This is equivalent to converting a daily 14-minute stroll into a brisk seven-min walk.
Overall, the lowest cardiovascular disease rates were observed among those UK Biobank participants who undertook higher overall levels of physical activity and a higher proportion of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.
However, when overall volume of physical activity increased but the proportion from moderate-to-vigorous activity remained the same, the authors observed little effect on cardiovascular disease rate.
Senior author Professor Tom Yates, professor of physical activity, sedentary behaviour and health at the University of Leicester, said: “Our analysis of data from UK Biobank confirms that increasing the total amount of physical activity can lower the risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke, but we also found that achieving the same overall amount of physical activity through higher intensity activity has a substantial additional benefit.
“Our findings support simple behaviour-change messages that ‘every move counts’ to encourage people to increase their overall physical activity, and if possible to do so by incorporating more moderately intense activities.
“This could be as simple as converting a leisurely stroll into a brisk walk, but a variety of approaches should encourage and help individuals to find whatever is most practical or enjoyable for them.”
The publication also carries results from an Australian study that shows two minute bursts of vigorous activity totalling 15 minutes a week are associated with a reduced risk of death.
It enrolled 71,893 adults without cardiovascular disease or cancer and investigators measured the total amount of weekly vigorous activity and the frequency of bouts lasting two minutes or less. Participants were followed for an average of 6.9 years.
Compared with two minutes of vigorous activity per week, 15 minutes was associated with an 18% lower risk of death and a 15% lower likelihood of cardiovascular disease, while 12 minutes was associated with a 17% reduced risk of cancer.
Dempsey PC, Rowlands AV, Strain T et al. Physical Activity Volume, Intensity and Incident Cardiovascular Disease. European Heart Journal. 28 October 2022; doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehac613
Ahmadi MN, Clare PJ, Katzmarzyk PT, et al. Vigorous physical activity, incident heart disease, and cancer: how little is enough? European Heart Journal 28 October 2022; doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehac572.
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