It's no secret that exercise offers a plethora of health benefits; tons of research has established that. But I was still heartened to read about a new study showing that physically active middle-aged women had lower risks of heart disease, stroke and blood clots than did their inactive counterparts. (I read about the work on my phone as I walked home from a barre class last night, which made me feel especially happy about having had just worked out.)
Researchers from University of Oxford looked at data from 1.1 million women in the United Kingdom, who were followed for an average of nine years. From an American Heart Association release:
In the study:
- Women who performed strenuous physical activity-- enough to cause sweating or a faster heart beat -- two to three times per week were about 20 percent less likely to develop heart disease, strokes or blood clots compared to participants who reported little or no activity.
- Among active women, there was little evidence of further risk reductions with more frequent activity.
Physical activities associated with reduced risk included walking, gardening, and cycling.
Lead author Miranda Armstrong, MPhil, PhD, commented that "inactive middle-aged women should try to do some activity regularly," but then noted that the results suggest that "to prevent heart disease, stroke and blood clots, our results suggest that women don't need to do very frequent activity." That's good news, ladies!
The study appears in the journal Circulation.
Previously: Lack of exercise shown to have largest impact on heart disease risk for women over 30, Exercise is valuable in preventing sedentary death, Study shows regular physical activity, even modest amounts, can add years to your life, CDC report shows exercise becoming a popular prescription among doctors and Brisk walking reduces stroke risk among women
Image by Thomas Hawk
