Light Exercise, Housework Signficantly Cuts Heart Risk in Seniors: Study

Light physical activity can help older adults cut 10-year risk of heart attack, a new study claims.

According to the US News & World Report, the study involving 1,200 adults found those who had some physical activity through light exercise or housework reduced their heart attack risk. However the study does not prove that exercise prevents a heart attack.

"Daily time spent being sedentary is positively associated with predicted 10‐year HCHD risk among mobility‐limited older adults. Duration, but not intensity (ie, mean counts/min), of daily physical activity is inversely associated with HCHD risk score in this population-although the association for intensity may be sex specific among persons without CVD," researchers wrote in the study published in Journal of American Heart Association.

Researchers measured the physical activity of the participants aged between 74 and 84 with accelerometers. The researchers found that the participants were sedentary for more than 10 hours but had nearly three hours of activity. Studies in the past have shown that sitting long hours ups the risk of heart attack and cardiovascular disease.

Researchers also estimated that every 25 to 30 minutes that a person was sedentary, the risk of heart attack increased one percent. They have recommended that elders with mobility should seek exercise advice from their health givers.f