Just 3.4 minutes of vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity per day lowers the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, including heart failure and myocardial infarction, particularly in non-exercising women, according to a recent study.
The study examined the sex-specific dose-response relationship between device-measured vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity (VILPA) and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). The study used data from 22,368 participants in the U.K. Biobank, including 13,018 women and 9,350 men, with a follow-up period of 7.9 years. The researchers aimed to explore how VILPA, a form of brief, intense physical activity incorporated into daily life, was associated with cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction (MI), heart failure, and stroke. Non-exercisers were defined as individuals self-reporting no leisure-time exercise and no more than one recreational walk per week.
Published in British Journal of Sports Medicine, the study utilized multivariable-adjusted cubic splines to assess the dose-response relationships between daily VILPA duration and MACE, adjusting for potential confounders such as age, smoking history, alcohol consumption, and other health factors. In total, 331 MACE events occurred in women and 488 in men during the follow-up period. The results showed that among non-exercising women, even minimal amounts of daily VILPA (1.2-1.6 minutes) were associated with significant reductions in cardiovascular risk. Women who engaged in a median of 3.4 minutes of VILPA per day had hazard ratios (HRs) of 0.55 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.41-0.75) for all MACE, 0.33 (95% CI, 0.18-0.59) for heart failure, and 0.67 (95% CI, 0.50-0.91) for MI. In contrast, similar associations were not observed in men, where the HRs for MACE were 0.84 (95% CI, 0.63-1.12) and for heart failure were 0.61 (95% CI, 0.35-1.06), indicating weaker associations in the male cohort.
Notably, when the researchers examined data from participants who regularly exercised, they found no major sex differences in the dose-response associations with MACE, suggesting the sex-specific effects were unique to non-exercisers.
The findings suggest that brief, vigorous physical activity, even in small amounts, may reduce cardiovascular risk in women who do not engage in formal exercise. However, the effects in men were less clear, suggesting potential sex differences in the physiological response to VILPA. The study concludes that VILPA could be an effective target for cardiovascular disease prevention, particularly for women who are unable or unwilling to participate in structured exercise. These results underscore the importance of considering sex differences in physical activity guidelines for cardiovascular disease prevention.
Full disclosures can be found in the published study.
