Any type of physical exercise is good for the heart

Conclusion This study shows that all physical activity, in any form, is good for us. This includes both recreational and non-recreational activities. Don't be misled by some of the media: non-recreational activities like housework are not "better" than recreational activities like playing sports or going to the gym. The fact that reduced risk was seen with non-recreational activity across all countries, but only seen with recreational activity in high-income countries was probably just because fewer people in lower-income countries play sports or go to the gym. The researchers estimate that 8% of all deaths and 4.6% of all cardiovascular disease events in the population could be prevented if everyone met the current physical activity recommendations: doing at least 150 minutes of moderate activity each week. The study had a few important limitations: Participants may have inaccurately reported the amount and type of activity. Disease outcomes and cause of death may be inaccurate – particularly in lower-income countries where this information could not be collected as reliably through registries and medical records. And people with pre-existing disease may not have been reliably excluded. The researchers tried to adjust for confounding factors that may influence the results, but weren't able to cover them all – notably, they failed to adjust for diet. Participants were from a range of countries worldwide, but this may not have been entirely represe...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Source Type: news