This Type of Exercise Could Help Reduce Your Risk of Chronic Disease, New Study Finds

We already know that regular exercise is a key factor in a healthier life. But is your workout routine doing enough?

A new study recently published in the European Heart Journal explores how the amount of time you exercise compared to the intensity of the workouts, specifically vigorous physical activity, can impact your health. Vigorous exercise is defined as high-intensity physical activity that significantly increases heart rate—typically to 70 to 90 percent of your maximum—and causes rapid breathing. Think running, swimming laps, fast cycling, and competitive sports.

Both the 2020 World Health Organization and the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity, 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity, or a combination of both per week.

In this study, the researchers set out to determine if and how more exertion can affect a wide range of major health conditions. To do this, they looked at data from the UK Biobank, a massive long-term health study, examining the information attained from more than 96,000 people who wore fitness trackers on their wrists for a week and another 375,000 people who filled out surveys about their daily exercise habits.

Using the data, researchers tracked the development of eight major chronic health conditions among the participants, including heart disease, atrial fibrillation, type 2 diabetes, liver disease, chronic kidney disease, chronic respiratory issues, dementia, and immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, as well as overall mortality rates.

By comparing the percentage of vigorous activity to the total amount of physical activity, the research team discovered that intensity does impact health outcomes.

Related Stories

Cooking at Home Could Boost Your Brain Health—Here's How Often You Should Do It, New Study Reveals

Fibermaxxing Is Everywhere—Here’s What Nutrition Experts Really Think About the Trend

Those participants whose total weekly movement included roughly 4 percent of vigorous activity experienced a 31 percent lower risk of major cardiovascular events compared to those who did no vigorous activity, a 41 percent lower risk of chronic kidney disease, and a 44 percent lower risk of chronic respiratory diseases.

Type 2 diabetes risk was reduced by 60 percent, and dementia risk dropped by 63 percent. Those in the higher-intensity exercise group also had a 46 percent lower risk of dying from any cause. The strongest benefits were seen for inflammatory conditions like arthritis, major cardiovascular problems such as heart attack and stroke, and dementia.

“Our findings suggest that making some of your physical activity vigorous can provide substantial health benefits. This doesn't require going to the gym. Adding short bursts of activity that make you slightly breathless into daily life, like taking the stairs quickly, walking fast between errands, or playing actively with children, can make a real difference. Even 15 to 20 minutes per week of this kind of effort—just a few minutes a day—was linked to meaningful health benefits," study author and professor Minxue Shen from the Xiangya School of Public Health at Central South University in Hunan, China, explained in a statement to the European Society of Cardiology.

While adding more intensity to your routine could greatly improve your health, the research doesn't prove definitively that exercise alone causes a reduced risk of diseases; other lifestyle factors, such as diet, might play a role.