Young women with moderate physical activity levels have a lowered heart disease risk, according to new evidence from the American Heart Association (AHA).
An AHA study found a cumulative 2.5 hours of recreational physical activity each week is linked to a 25 percent lower risk of heart disease in women under age 50. The activity did not have to be strenuous and the benefits of the 2.5 hours of moderate physical activity applied to all women — obese and overweight women as well as women of a normal weight.
Some notes from the study:
- Regardless of their weight, the women in the study reduced their heart disease risk through physical activity.
- Moderate activities like brisk walking were enough to lower the women’s risk of coronary heart disease.
- Getting moderate physical activity in for at least 150 minutes altogether had more impact than the frequency of the physical activity.
