Study: Physical activity reduces risk of heart failure

According to new research published by the American Heart Association, moderate or strong physical activity may reduce the risk of heart failure.

The study lasted for six years and involved more than 94,000 adults in the United Kingdom, who had no history of heart failure at the time of registration.

This study is one of the first to use objectively measured activity levels to assess heart failure risk. The results are consistent with previous studies that found that performing 150-300 minutes of moderate exercise or 75-150 minutes of vigorous exercise each week may reduce the incidence of heart attacks and strokes.

Heart failure is a chronic and worsening condition that occurs when the heart is unable to pump enough blood to keep up with the body's blood and oxygen needs, and can lead to fatigue and difficulty breathing.

Heart failure affects more than 6 million adults in the United States, according to the American Heart Association, and more than 86,000 Americans died of heart failure in 2019.

Co-lead author of the study and lecturer in public health at the University of Glasgow Frederick K. It is: "There are many possible ways in which regular physical activity may reduce the risk of heart failure for example, physical activity helps prevent weight gain and associated cardiovascular disease, such as hypertension and type 2 diabetes, all risk factors for heart failure, Regular physical exercise may also strengthen the heart muscle, which in turn may prevent the development of heart failure. "

Investigators analysed the health records of 94,739 adults aged 37 to 73 in the UK Biobank, a large UK research database that recorded and collected health information on 500,000 adults cared for through the NHS. Participants in the UK Biobank were registered in the database between 2006 and 2010 across Scotland, England and Wales.

Data for this study was collected between 2013-2015, and during that time period, the subgroup of 94,739 participants was invited randomly to enroll in the study via their email address to the UK Biobank.

The average age of participants was 56 years at the time of registration, 57% were female and 96.6% were white adults, while each participant was invited, registered and analyzed, he had not been diagnosed with heart failure or heart attack. Each participant wore a wrist accelerometer for seven consecutive days, 24 hours a day, to measure the severity and duration of physical activity. After registration, data was collected through hospital records and associated death.

During an average follow-up of 6.1 years after a physical activity measurement procedure, the analysis found:

Adults who had moderate physical activity for 150-300 minutes in one week had a 63% lower risk of heart failure. and

It was estimated that those who performed 75-150 minutes of vigorous physical activity in one week had a 66% lower risk of heart failure compared to participants who had little, no or strong physical activity.

Estimated risk reductions have been adjusted by age, sex, ethnicity, education, social and economic conditions, smoking, alcohol intake and nutritional factors.

Dr Frederick says: "These results suggest that every physical movement is important, walking leisurely for 10 minutes is better than sitting and not being physically active. If possible, try to walk a little faster, increasing the intensity and potential benefits of exercise. "

According to the study, there is no correlation between cause and effect between the amount and severity of physical activity and the risk of heart failure, since participants in the UK Biobank are overwhelmingly white, further studies will be needed to confirm that these results apply to people from diverse backgrounds who may have negative social determinants of health.

"Our findings add to the vast array of other evidence, suggesting that maintaining even a modest amount of regular physical activity can help prevent a range of chronic conditions from developing, including heart failure," said senior study author Navid Sattar.

According to the researchers, people who include heart failure risk factors have a BMI that meets the criteria for overweight or obesity, high blood pressure and high glucose or cholesterol, may benefit in particular from their increased physical activity.