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Heart disease patients should move every 20 minutes

Heart disease patients should get up and move every 20 MINUTES ‘to avoid an early grave’

  • Being active three times a day helps a person burn 770 calories a day
  • This is the number of calories patients need to burn to prevent an early death
  • Every 20 minutes, patients should had a seven-minute bout of light activity  
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Heart disease patients should get up and move every 20 minutes in order to avoid an early grave, research suggests.

Canadian experts claim being active around three times an hour for seven minutes helps burn 770 calories each day.

This is the amount of calories a heart disease patient needs to burn to reduce their risk of an early death, scientists believe.  


Heart patients should move every 21 minutes in order to live a long life, study suggests (stock)

The University of Alberta researchers analysed 132 patients with coronary artery disease.

The participants, who had an average age of 63, wore an armband that monitored their activity levels for 22 hours a day for five days.

This assessed the amount of time they spent being active, as well as how long their breaks were between bursts of exercise.

The researchers then calculated how often a heart disease patient would have to move in order to burn 770 calories a day.

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‘There is a lot of evidence now that sitting for long periods is bad for health,’ study author Dr Ailar Ramadi said.

‘Our study shows heart patients should interrupt sedentary time every 20 minutes with a seven minute bout of light physical activity.’

He said this would add up to 21 minutes of light physical activity and would ‘expend 770 calories a day, an amount associated with a lower risk of premature death’.

WHAT IS CORONARY HEART DISEASE?

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a major cause of death both in the UK and worldwide. CHD is sometimes called ischaemic heart disease.

The main symptoms of CHD are: angina (chest pain), heart attacks, heart failure.

However, not everyone has the same symptoms and some people may not have any before CHD is diagnosed.

Coronary heart disease is the term that describes what happens when your heart’s blood supply is blocked or interrupted by a build-up of fatty substances in the coronary arteries.

Over time, the walls of your arteries can become furred up with fatty deposits. This process is known as atherosclerosis and the fatty deposits are called atheroma.

You can reduce your risk of getting CHD by making some simple lifestyle changes.

These include:

  • eating a healthy, balanced diet
  • being physically active
  • giving up smoking
  • controlling blood cholesterol and sugar levels 

 Source: NHS

Other experts warned that the study – presented at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress (CCC) in Toronto – was too small to draw firm conclusions.

‘A randomised controlled trial is needed before this can become a firm recommendation,’ Professor Joep Perk, from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Prevention, said.

‘Nevertheless, regular physical activity is key to achieving a healthy life, whether you are a cardiac patient or not.’

Dr Michelle Graham, scientific programme committee chair at the CCC, added: ‘[This] novel work has very practical implications, not only for patients with cardiovascular disease, but for improving prevention by altering how people work in sedentary environments.’

Coronary artery disease occurs when the major blood vessels that supply the heart with blood, nutrients and oxygen become damaged or diseased.

This is usually due to the accumulation of plaque, which narrows the arteries and restricts blood flow. It is the most common type of heart disease.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US and the UK, where it is responsible for up to one in four fatalities.  

Exercising, eating a healthy diet and not smoking all reduce the risk of coronary artery disease.

‘Sedentary lifestyles affect more than half of the world’s population,’ Professor Jeroen Bax, past president of the ESC, said. 

‘ESC guidelines on the prevention of cardiovascular disease recommend a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week. 

‘Any activity is better than none and more activity is better than some.’ 

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