Short periods of vigorous exercise are associated with longevity

Research published in the European Heart Journal, the journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), suggests that two minutes of vigorous exercise per week, for a total of 15 minutes, reduces the risk of death

"The findings suggest that short periods of vigorous exercise each week can help us live longer
.
" "Considering that lack of time is the most common barrier to regular physical activity, accumulating a small amount of exercise during the day can be a particularly attractive option
for busy people.
"

A second study, published today in the journal EHJ, found that increased exercise intensity was associated with a reduced likelihood of cardiovascular disease at a certain level of physical activity, and study author Dr Paddy C.
Dempsey, from the Universities of Leicester and Cambridge in the United Kingdom and the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia: "Our study shows that it is not just the amount of exercise that is important for cardiovascular health, but also the intensity
of exercise.
"

Both studies included adults
aged 40 to 69 from the UK Biobank.
Participants wore activity trackers
on their wrists for seven consecutive days.
This is an objective way to measure exercise, especially sporadic activities
of varying intensity throughout the day.

The first study enrolled 71,893 adults
without cardiovascular disease or cancer.
The median age was 62.
5 years, and 56% were female
.
The researchers measured the total amount of vigorous exercise per week and the frequency
of seizures lasting no more than two minutes.
Participants were followed for an average of 6.
9 years
.
After excluding events that occurred in the first year, the researchers analyzed the relationship
between the amount and frequency of strenuous exercise and death (all-cause, cardiovascular disease, and cancer) and the incidence of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

As the amount and frequency of strenuous exercise increases, the risk of all five adverse outcomes decreases, and even small amounts of vigorous exercise are beneficial
.
For example, participants who did not exercise vigorously had a 4 percent
risk of dying over five years.
The risk of less than 10 minutes of vigorous exercise per week is halved to 2%, while the risk of more than 60 minutes of vigorous exercise per week is reduced to 1%.

Compared to just 2 minutes of vigorous exercise per week, 15 minutes reduced the risk of death and cardiovascular disease by 18%, while 12 minutes reduced the risk
of cancer by 17%.
Further progress
can be observed with greater amounts of strenuous exercise.
For example, exercising for about 53 minutes per week reduced the risk of death from any cause by 36%.

In terms of frequency, short bursts of vigorous exercise (no more than two minutes) an average of four times a day can reduce the risk
of death by 27%.
But the health benefits were observed at lower frequencies: 10 short episodes per week were associated
with a 16 percent and 17 percent reduction in cardiovascular disease and cancer risk, respectively.

The second study included 88,412 adults
without cardiovascular disease.
The average age was 62 years, of which 58% were women
.
The researchers estimated the amount and intensity of physical activity and then analyzed their relationship
with the occurrence of cardiovascular disease (ischemic heart disease or cerebrovascular disease).
Participants were followed for an average of 6.
8 years
.

The researchers found that both high doses and high levels were associated with
lower rates of cardiovascular disease.
With the same amount of exercise, increasing exercise intensity can reduce more cardiovascular disease
.
For example, when high-intensity exercise accounts for 20% of total exercise instead of 10%, the incidence of cardiovascular disease is reduced by 14%, which is equivalent to turning a 14-minute walk into a 7-minute brisk walk
.

Dr Dempsey said: "Our findings suggest that increasing physical activity is not the only way to
reduce the likelihood of cardiovascular disease.
Increasing the strength is also particularly important, and both are optimal
.
This suggests that increasing the intensity of the activities you're already doing is good for
heart health.
For example, walk to the bus stop faster each day, or get chores
done faster.
”