Older women who walk at an average or fast pace have lower risk for heart failure versus slower walkers<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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WEDNESDAY, Feb. 2, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Walking pace is inversely associated with the risks for heart failure, according to a study published online Jan. 20 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society<\/em>.<\/p>\n Moafi-Madani Miremad, M.D., from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and colleagues investigated the association between self-reported walking pace and the risk for heart failure. The analysis included 25,183 postmenopausal women (aged 50 to 79 years) participating in the Women’s Health Initiative cohort (1993 to 1998).<\/p>\n During a median 16.9 years of follow-up, the researchers found a strong inverse association between walking pace and the overall risk for heart failure (hazard ratio, 0.73 for average [2 to 3 mph] versus casual walking [<2 mph]; hazard ratio, 0.66 for fast walking [>3 mph] versus casual walking). The risk for heart failure was similar for fast walking with less than one hour\/week walking duration and for casual and average walkers with more than two hours\/week walking duration.<\/p>\n “Given that limited time for exercise is frequently given as a barrier to regular physical activity, walking faster but for less time might provide similar health benefits as the recommended 150 minutes per week of moderate physical activity,” a coauthor said in a statement.<\/p>\n