Speed walking good for heart

Fast walking and jogging every day can cut your risk of heart disease and stroke by as much as 50%, but an hour's walk every day does not make a difference, according to a new Danish study.

The researchers said their findings suggest that exercise intensity rather than duration is what matters in protecting against metabolic syndrome, which refers to a combination of factors - such as high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar levels, abnormal blood fat levels and abdominal obesity - that increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke. The study was published in the online journal BMJ Open.

Researchers Eva Prescott and colleagues at Bispebjerg University Hospital, in Copenhagen, looked at more than 10 000 Danish adults, aged 21 to 98, who were first assessed between 1991 and 1994 and then followed for up to 10 years. At the initial assessment, about 20% of women and 27% of men had metabolic syndrome.

How the study was done

At the study's beginning, those who were least active were most likely to have the syndrome. Nearly one-third of inactive women and about 37% of inactive men had metabolic syndrome, compared with 10% of physically active women and about 14% of physically active men, according to a journal news release.

By the end of the study period, metabolic syndrome had developed in about 15% of the people who didn't have the syndrome at the start of the study. The syndrome developed in about 19% of inactive people and 12% of those who were very physically active.

Further investigation showed that it was not only the amount of exercise, but also the intensity that helped reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome. Fast walking cut the risk by 50% and jogging cut the risk by 40%, while going for an hour-long walk each day did not make any difference.

Read more:

20 proven benefits of exercise

Dark chocolate lowers heart disease risk

Metabolic syndrome tied to diabetes

More information

The US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more about metabolic syndrome.

(Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.)