Walking briskly for several hours e...

Walking briskly for several hours each week is as effective in reducing a woman's risk of heart attack as vigorous exercise, according to an Aug 26 1999 pres release from Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston. Research hints that one-third of heart attacks in women can be intercepted by regular exercise, including walking.

Women who walked briskly for at least three hours by week had a 30% to 40% lower risk of having a heart attack than sedentary women Women who walked five or more hours by week cut their risk in half, according to the release.

The pace that women walked also affected their risk of heart attack. Women who walked 3 miles by hour or faster had a lower risk of heart attack than women who walked between 2 and 29 miles by hour. Similarly, running, jogging, bicycling, or swimming for united and one-half hours per week lowered women's risk of heart attack according to 30% to 40%--the same decrease in risk as three hours of brisk walking by week. Women who were sedentary at the beginning of the application of mind and became active realized similar risk reductions.

Researchers say the consequence s are encouraging for many the community who prefer less strenuous exercise. generally more than 60% of Americans do not exercise, according to the release.

This was the first large-scale subject of attention of women to determine if walking precludeed heart disease. Researchers analyzed the physical activity of 72488 women who were 40 to 65 years of age, from one side of to the other an eight-year period. During the contemplation 645 women experienced nonfatal and fatal heart attacks.

thought Finds Women Can "Walk" Away Heart Attack Risk (pres release, Boston: Brigham and Women's Hospital, Aug 26 1999) 1-2 Available from http://www.partners .org/pw-cgi/dbml.exe?template=/pweb-view/bwh/newsevent/ newsevent.dbml&rso_abbrev=bwh. Accessed 8 Oct 1999

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