It is well established that exercise is good for heart health.
Now in a study from Leiden University, scientists found that morning physical activity is associated with the lowest risk of heart disease and stroke.
The findings were particularly pronounced in women and applied to both early birds and night owls.
In the study, the team used data from the UK Biobank. The data included 86,657 adults aged 42 to 78 years who were free of heart disease at baseline.
During six to eight years of follow-up, 2,911 participants developed coronary artery disease and 796 had a stroke.
Comparing peak activity times across a 24-hour period, is most active between 8 am and 11 am was linked with the lowest risks of both heart disease and stroke.
The team also divided participants into four groups based on the peak time of physical activity: 1) midday; 2) early morning (~8 am); 3) late morning (~10 am); and 4) evening (~7 pm).
They found participants who were most active in the early morning or late morning had 11% and 16% lower risks of incident coronary artery disease, respectively, compared to the reference group.
In addition, those who were most active in the late morning had a 17% decreased risk of incident stroke compared with the reference group.
The findings were consistent regardless of the total amount of daily activity, and whether participants described themselves as morning person or evening person.
The team also found that the results were particularly prominent in women but no longer significant in men.
Women who were most active in the early morning or late morning had 22% and 24% lower risks of incident coronary artery disease, respectively, compared to the reference group.
In addition, women who were most active in the late morning had a 35% decreased risk of incident stroke compared with the reference group.
These findings add to the evidence of the health benefits of being physically active by suggesting that morning activity, especially the late morning, may be the most advantageous.
It is too early for formal advice to prioritize morning exercise as this is quite a new field of research.
If you care about stroke, please read a recent case at 27, she collapsed in the shower from a stroke, and this combo therapy can cut risk of heart attack and stroke by half.
For more information about stroke, please see recent studies about dietary supplements that could help prevent heart disease and stroke, and results showing that aspirin effective for preventing recurrent heart problems and strokes.
The study was conducted by Ms. Gali Albalak et al and published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
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