Just mins of climbing stairs or having sex could slash women's risk of heart attack by 45%, study finds
Carrying heavy shopping bags or climbing the stairs in short bursts can dramatically reduce the chances of a heart attack by half in women, a research project suggests.
FollowCarrying heavy shopping bags or climbing the stairs in short bursts can dramatically reduce the chances of a heart attack by half in women, a research project suggests. The day-to-day activities can help to slash heart problems in those who are otherwise inactive.
The study, conducted on over 22,000 British adults aged 40 to 79, showed how everyday actions can double as life-saving exercise for those who shy away from structured workouts.
Scientists have termed these short bursts of physical exertion as vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity. Over a monitoring period spanning from 2013 to 2022, women who incorporated just 3.4 minutes of such activity into their daily lives slashed their risk of major cardiovascular events by 45%. Their chances of a heart attack plummeted by 51%, and they were 67% less likely to suffer heart failure compared to their sedentary counterparts.
Even a modest 1.5 minutes of high-intensity activity daily offered significant protection, reducing the likelihood of heart attacks by a third and heart failure by 40%.
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Women, who generally have lower cardiorespiratory fitness than men, stand to gain immensely from this approach. According to the lead researcher, Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis of the University of Sydney, “Making short bursts of vigorous physical activity a lifestyle habit could be a promising option for women who are not keen on structured exercise or are unable to do it. As a starting point, it could be as simple as incorporating throughout the day a few minutes of activities like stair climbing, carrying shopping [or] uphill walking.”
Stamatakis emphasized, “This should not be seen as a quick fix – there are no magic bullets for health. But our results show that even a little bit of higher intensity activity can help and might be just the thing to help people develop a regular physical activity – or even exercise – habit.”
While the benefits were clear for women, men saw less dramatic results. Those averaging 5.6 minutes of daily vigorous activity reduced their risk of cardiovascular events by only 16%, with a mere 11% reduction for those doing at least 2.3 minutes daily.
The findings, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, underline the potential of turning everyday chores into powerful health allies.
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