A recent study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society highlights a crucial link between walking pace and heart health in postmenopausal women.
The study observed 25,183 women aged between 50 and 79, revealing that those who walked at a faster pace had a significantly lower risk of heart failure.
Key Findings of the Study
Risk Reduction: Women who walked at an average or fast pace experienced a 27% and 34% lower risk of heart failure, respectively, compared to those who walked casually.
Duration vs. Intensity: Interestingly, walking fast for less than an hour each week offered the same benefits in reducing heart failure risk as walking at an average or casual pace for over two hours weekly.
Follow-up Period: The findings were based on a median follow-up period of 16.9 years, during which 1,455 cases of heart failure hospitalization were recorded.
The study corroborates previous research underscoring the significance of walking speed on overall mortality and cardiovascular outcomes. This is particularly relevant for postmenopausal women, a group at increased risk for heart conditions.
Implications for Exercise Recommendations
Senior author Dr. Charles B. Eaton from the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University notes the study’s practical implications.
Recognizing that limited time for exercise is a common barrier, the research suggests that walking faster for shorter durations can offer similar health benefits to the recommended 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week.
This approach could be a more feasible option for many individuals, especially those with busy schedules.
Conclusion
The study offers a compelling argument for the role of brisk walking in reducing heart failure risk among postmenopausal women. It emphasizes that not only the duration but also the intensity of physical activity is critical for heart health.
This finding could significantly influence exercise guidelines and recommendations, especially for older women.
If you care about heart disease, please read studies about a big cause of heart failure, and common blood test could advance heart failure treatment.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about a new way to repair human heart, and results showing drinking coffee may help reduce heart failure risk.
The research findings can be found in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
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