A study of more than 14,000 people found those who exercised at a certain part of the day were significantly less likely to have heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes or obesity
Early morning exercise could bring the greatest health benefits, the study found(Image: Getty)
Exercising early in the morning may boost the health benefits of physical activity, research suggests. A study of more than 14,000 individuals found those who routinely worked out early in the morning were significantly less likely to suffer from coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes or obesity, compared with people who exercised later in the day.
The research examined health records and heart rate data gathered using Fitbit exercise trackers. Study leader Prem Patel, a medical student at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School in the US, said: “Any exercise is going to be better than no exercise, but we tried to identify an additional dimension relating to the timing of exercise. If you can exercise in the morning, it seems to be linked with better rates of cardiometabolic disease.”
Regular physical activity is recognised to reduce risk of conditions including high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity, which in turn heighten risk of heart disease.
The study searched for periods of physical activity when participants had an elevated heart rate for 15 minutes or more.
Early morning exercise could bring the greatest health benefits, the study found(Image: Getty)
People who frequently exercised in the morning were 31% less likely to suffer from coronary artery disease and 18% less likely to have high blood pressure than those who exercised later in the day, reports the Express.
They were also 21% less likely to have high cholesterol, 30% less likely to have Type 2 diabetes, and 35% less likely to be obese. The associations identified were independent of the total daily quantity of physical activity.
Exercise between 7am and 8am was linked with the lowest odds of coronary artery disease.
The study was observational so could not prove that the timing of exercise caused the lower risk of health conditions.
The study tracked when people were active for more than 15 minutes(Image: Getty)
Mr Patel added: “In the past, researchers have mainly looked at how much physical activity to do, the number of minutes or the intensity of physical activity.
“Now with one in three Americans having a wearable device, we’re gaining the ability to look at exercise at the minute-by-minute level, and that opens a lot of doors in terms of new analyses.”
The findings were presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session.
Want to see more from the Irish Mirror? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusive top stories and must-read content straight away. To add Irish Mirror as a preferred source, simply click here.