Engaging in physical exercise for at least 150 minutes per week is associated with a stable, though moderate, reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, achieving substantial protection requires between 560 and 610 minutes of activity, according to a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Current global health guidelines recommend that adults complete a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each week, such as brisk walking, running, or cycling. The new research, led by the Macao Polytechnic University in China, indicates that while this standard baseline provides a universal minimum safety margin for the general population, optimal protection demands a substantially higher volume of physical activity.
Analysis of data
The observational study examined data from 17,088 individuals who participated in the UK Biobank study between 2013 and 2015. The participants had a mean age of 57 years, with women comprising 56 per cent of the cohort and white individuals accounting for 96 per cent.
The findings revealed that adults who met the standard threshold of 150 minutes of exercise per week experienced a modest reduction in cardiovascular risk of between 8 per cent and 9 per cent. This level of risk reduction remained consistent across all categories of baseline physical fitness.
To achieve what the researchers classified as substantial cardiovascular protection, meaning a risk reduction exceeding 30 per cent, participants needed to log between 560 and 610 minutes of exercise per week. Only 12 per cent of the individuals tracked in the study managed to reach this level of weekly activity.
Impact of physical fitness
The analysis also highlighted how individual fitness levels alter the required exercise dose. The researchers observed cardiorespiratory fitness, which measures the maximum amount of oxygen the body consumes during intense exercise to determine how efficiently the heart, lungs, and muscles deliver and utilise oxygen.
The data showed that individuals with lower levels of physical fitness required an additional 30 to 50 minutes of exercise per week compared to fitter individuals to achieve equivalent health outcomes. For instance, securing a 20 per cent reduction in cardiovascular events required 370 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise for less fit individuals, compared to 340 minutes for those with higher baseline fitness.
Commenting on the findings, Julián Pérez Villacastín, a professor of cardiology at the Complutense University of Madrid, noted the utility of the study but emphasised that the traditional 150-minute recommendation remains highly valid and applicable for the general public as a foundational health goal.
