A new study<\/a> published in the European Heart Journal, looking at data from about 475,000 people, found those who incorporated vigorous physical activity into their regular routines were at the lowest risk of developing major chronic diseases.<\/p>\n \u201cThe main message from this research is that how hard you move matters, not just how much you move,\u201d says the study\u2019s principal investigator, Minxue Shen<\/a>, PhD, professor and vice director of Xiangya School of Public Health at Central South University in Hunan, China.<\/p>\n Related Story<\/p>\n To determine the effect of vigorous activity, researchers looked at fitness tracker data from more than 96,000 men and women, as well as self-reported activity levels from more than 375,000 individuals, shared with the UK Biobank. They compared the amount of intense daily activity<\/a>\u2014even if done for just a few minutes every day\u2014to the incidence of death and eight chronic diseases.<\/p>\n Researchers defined vigorous activity in a couple ways: For those wearing fitness trackers, they looked at wrist acceleration, measured in milligravity (mg), with vigorous activity measuring greater than 400 mg and light activity ranging from 30 to 125 mg. For self-reported data, vigorous activity meant efforts that substantially elevated heart rate and breathing. (The American Heart Association<\/a> also defines vigorous activity as not being able to talk much without getting out of breath.)<\/p>\n The diseases assessed included major adverse cardiovascular events, atrial fibrillation<\/a> (irregular heartbeat), type 2 diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, chronic kidney disease, dementia, and a few other metabolic and inflammatory conditions.<\/p>\n \u201cFor runners and cyclists, this is encouraging, because they\u2019re often already doing higher-intensity efforts like hill training<\/a> and sprinting,\u201d Shen says. \u201cThose appear to provide meaningful health benefits, even more than you\u2019d see by simply logging more miles at an easy pace<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n What\u2019s also notable: Study participants with at least 4 percent of vigorous physical activity had significantly lower risk of death and chronic disease, compared with those with no intense activity at all. \u201cFor most people, the encouraging message is that even brief efforts count,\u201d Shen says.<\/p>\n In terms of how that percentage translates into minutes of effort, it depends on how much total activity someone does, but Shen notes that if you\u2019re physically active for about two hours daily\u2014including walking<\/a>, household tasks, and other everyday movement\u2014then 4 percent would translate to roughly five minutes of vigorous activity.<\/p>\n For athletes who may be active for longer periods, 4 percent of their total activity time would naturally be higher, but he notes that the key point remains: The threshold is surprisingly low.<\/p>\n Related LinksWhy Intensity Matters<\/p>\n These study findings are in line with past studies highlighting the advantages of very brief bursts of activity and high-intensity exercise. For example, a study in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine<\/a> looked at how five- to 10-minute bouts of moderate-intensity exercise affected 53 study participants who were normally sedentary. Researchers found 24 weeks of completing these brief sessions boosted oxygen consumption and improved cardiovascular function.<\/p>\n Another study, in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism<\/a>, assessed the benefits of sprinting up a three-flight staircase three times a day\u2014what they called \u201cexercise snacks<\/a>\u201d\u2014three times a week for six weeks. Researchers determined the effects on 24 young, sedentary adults, and found the sprinting resulted in higher cardiorespiratory fitness<\/a>, compared with the control group at the end of the study. (Better cardio fitness has also been linked to lower cancer mortality<\/a>, as well as improved running performance.)<\/p>\n Although the most recent study was observational and didn\u2019t directly test potential mechanisms for why vigorous activity would affect disease risk, Shen says that previous research points to several plausible pathways.<\/p>\n \u201cTotal activity volume is broadly beneficial for improving insulin sensitivity, lowering blood pressure, and reducing systemic inflammation<\/a>,\u201d he explains. \u201cVigorous activity, however, appears to trigger additional physiological responses.\u201d<\/p>\n Higher-intensity exercise places greater demand on the cardiovascular system, and that can improve the ability of your heart, lungs, and blood vessels to supply oxygen to your working muscles during exercise. It also improves how your blood vessels work and how your heart functions.<\/p>\n Intense exercise also produces stronger metabolic and hormonal responses, which may help improve how the body uses energy and regulates inflammation, Shen says. All of that contributes to reducing risk for major chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease<\/a>, type 2 diabetes<\/a>, and others studied by the researchers.<\/p>\n
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