How 9 Hours of Weekly Exercise Slashes Heart Disease Risk by 30%

New research shows that regular exercise significantly lowers the risk of cardiovascular events. Over nine hours of moderate to vigorous activity each week can cut this risk by more than 30%. The findings come from a long-term study tracking health outcomes over eight years. The study followed participants for an average of eight years, recording 1,233 cardiovascular events. It found that people with lower baseline fitness needed more exercise to gain the same benefits as fitter individuals. To achieve a 20% risk reduction, those with the lowest fitness levels required about 370 minutes of activity per week.

Cardiovascular protection does not increase in a straight line with exercise. Instead, benefits scale non-linearly, meaning higher activity levels offer disproportionately greater protection. Meeting basic exercise guidelines provides some benefit, but exceeding them delivers even stronger safeguards.

For motivated patients, personalised advice based on cardiorespiratory fitness assessments could help optimise risk reduction. Clinicians may soon use data from smartwatches and wearable devices alongside traditional tests to tailor exercise recommendations. The study highlights the importance of exercise volume in reducing cardiovascular risk. It also underscores the need for individualised approaches, especially for those with lower fitness levels. Using technology to refine advice could make exercise plans more effective for each person.