Exercising for around 10 hours per week could offer significantly stronger protection against heart disease than current minimum recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO), according to a new study.
Researchers from Macao Polytechnic University, China, report that adults who accumulate about 560 to 610 minutes (about 10 hours) of moderate to vigorous physical activity weekly may reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease — including heart attack, stroke and heart failure — by more than 30%.
The findings were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
The study defines moderate activity as exercise that raises the heart rate and breathing but still allows conversation, while vigorous activity involves heavy breathing and difficulty speaking.
A different approach to that of the WHO
The researchers analysed data from 17,088 people from a British health database – the UK Biobank.
The participants wore accelerometers for one week to objectively measure physical activity levels and also underwent fitness testing, including an estimated measure of oxygen uptake using a bicycle ergometer.
They were then followed for around eight years to track the development of cardiovascular disease.
The analysis found that meeting the WHO guideline of at least 150 minutes of weekly activity was associated with an 8% to 9% reduction in cardiovascular disease risk.
However, participants who reached roughly 10 hours of weekly activity saw a much larger risk reduction of more than 30%. Only about 12% of participants achieved this level of exercise.
The WHO recommendation is intended as a minimum benchmark for public health that is realistically achievable for large sections of the population, designed to deliver meaningful benefits even with modest increases in activity, particularly for inactive individuals.
Unlike previous guideline-based research, which often relies on self-reported activity, this study used wearable sensor data.
Benefits may vary by fitness level
The authors also note that people with lower baseline fitness require slightly more exercise to achieve the same benefits as more athletic individuals.
Although the WHO’s 150-minute rule remains an important starting point, the authors emphasize that significantly longer periods of activity should be aimed for to achieve optimal resilience.
They also caution that the findings are observational, meaning no direct cause-and-effect relationship can be confirmed.
It is also possible that more active participants were already healthier than the general population.
