A new study shows that millions of Americans who do 30-minute workouts a day to meet the moderate-intensity exercise recommended by the American Heart Association's (AHA) experts for a healthy heart might not be physically active enough. The research discovered that a half-hour daily session only provided modest decreases in risk of heart failure, but two hours of exercise a day produced a 35 percent plummet.
The study was published in the journal Circulation. It was conducted by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School (UTSMS) in Dallas, Texas.
Researchers examined 12 studies done in the United States and Europe, which included over 370,000 people, according to Philly. They were tracked for 15 years on average.
Exercising for one hour per day caused a lower but major decrease in heart failure risk. The drop was 20 percent.
Jarett D. Berry was the study's senior author. He is an associate professor at UTSMS.
Heart failure happens when the vital organ cannot supply the body with enough blood, resulting in shortness of breath. It affects 5.1 million adults in the U.S., producing health care costs over $30 billion per year, according to The Washington Post.
The AHA recommends at least 2 hours and 30 minutes per week of brisk walking for middle-aged adults. However, Berry explained it is possibly not enough for people with high blood pressure.
Lead author Ambarish Pandey is a UTSMS cardiology fellow. He explained that the study did not compare the link between heart failure risk and different kinds of physical activity.
Past research shows that short 10 to 15-minute small bursts of intense exercise can be helpful. In addition, a mix of vigorous and moderate activity can be done weekly.
"Vigorous" exercises include jogging, biking up hills, swimming, and playing basketball. Meanwhile, "moderate" exercises are active yet less intense. They include brisk walking, biking on level ground, water aerobics, and pushing a lawnmower.
This video shares some top exercises for heart health: