The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends getting between 150 and 300 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week for good health. However, a study carried out by a group of researchers from Brazil, South Korea, Chile, the United States and Spain, has discovered that doubling these figures could reduce the risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease by up to 31%.
The research, which has been published in the journal Circulation of the American Heart Association, has been carried out thanks to more than 100,000 adult participants who were followed for a period of 30 years. The amount of physical activity they engaged in, which should be two to four times the amount recommended by the WHO, was analyzed and correlated with their health data.
Other previous studies had already linked the practice of physical exercise on a regular basis with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and premature death. “The potential impact of physical activity on health is great, but it remains unclear whether engaging in high levels of prolonged, vigorous, or moderate-intensity physical activity above recommended levels provides additional benefits or deleterious effects on cardiovascular health.” , explained Dong Hoon Lee, one of the authors of the work.
In this research, it has been concluded that those adults who dedicated twice the time to the practice of moderate or vigorous physical exercise than was recommended had a lower long-term mortality risk than those who complied with what was recommended. by the WHO.
Exercising more than recommended reduces mortality
Other research findings showed that participants who met recommended vigorous physical activity had a 31% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and a 19% lower chance of dying from any other cause. For those who did the recommended moderate physical activity, the risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease was reduced by 22% to 25%, and overall mortality was reduced by 21% to 23%.
Those who did between 5 and 10 hours of weekly exercise reduced their mortality from cardiovascular disease between 28% and 38%
However, those who chose to do two to four times more than the recommended amount of long-term vigorous physical activity (150-300 min per week) had a 27% to 33% lower risk of cardiovascular mortality and between a 27% and 33% for all causes.
Finally, those who went a step further and chose to do moderate physical exercise two to four times more than recommended, that is, between 300 and 600 minutes a week, managed to reduce their chances of dying from cardiovascular diseases by 28%. and 38%, and between 26% and 31% mortality from all causes.
“Our study provides evidence to guide people to choose the right amount and intensity of physical activity throughout their lives to maintain their overall health. Our findings support current national physical activity guidelines and further suggest that maximum benefits can be achieved by engaging in medium to high levels of moderate or vigorous activity, or a combination,” Lee explains.
And it is that previous studies had found that long-term and intense resistance exercise, such as marathons, long-distance bicycle races or triathlons increased the risk of cardiovascular problems, such as atrial fibrillation, calcification of the coronary arteries, myocardial fibrosis and arrhythmia sudden. This study shows that there is no need to worry about these possible harmful effects.
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