This is a brief summary of the research study from The European Heart Journal:
Matthew N Ahmadi, Philip J Clare, Peter T Katzmarzyk, Borja del Pozo Cruz, I-Min Lee, Emmanuel Stamatakis, Vigorous physical activity, incident heart disease, and cancer: how little is enough?, European Heart Journal, 2022;, ehac572, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehac572.
The Yolk
- Background: 150-300 min/week of regular exercise and 75-150 of vigorous exercise recommended
- 71,893 participants wore wrist accelerometers for about 5-6 years to study their VPA (Vigorous Physical Activity – heart pumping exercise):
- 15-20 minutes per week was associated with lower cardiovascular risk, lower cancer risk, and overall lower mortality risk
- 20 minutes per week associated with 40% lower risk of cardiovascular disease
- 53 minutes per week associated with 36% reduced mortality
- 2 minute sessions 4 times in a day associated with 27% reduced mortality
- Benefits were consistent across age, sex, lifestyle and other health factors
- Overall strong study with large sample size, long follow up, and very selective
- A great option for those unwilling or unable to participate in long exercise sessions
Perspective
- The current recommendations are 75-150 minutes of vigorous exercise, and surprisingly, this study shows benefit at 15-20 minutes
- Don’t let the information mislead you into thinking you’ll do this a few days and be good to go
- But if you are someone who will never exercise or do not like exercise or just have no time, consider this good news to at least give you an advantage for your health, that 2 minutes at a time is “enough”
- Briskly go up and down the stairs
- Dance to your favorite song
- Ride a stationary bike
- Chase your dog
- Jump rope
- Play with kids
Research & Resources
