An average of 3,600 steps a day at a normal pace was linked to a 26% lower chance for developing heart failure in women over the age of 60, according to a new study published Wednesday in JAMA Cardiology.
Researchers looked at physical activity monitored by an accelerometer along with sedentary time and heart failure risk. Data was derived from 407 women with heart failure, and researchers followed up on the women for an average of 7.5 years. The women wore accelerometers for up to seven days straight. Participants engaged in light activities including chores and caregiving, while moderate to vigorous exercise included yard work, climbing stairs and walking.
The average number of steps per day among women in the study was 3,588. The average among U.S. women who were a similar age was 2,340 steps.
During that time, the risk of developing heart failure was, on average, 12% and 16% lower for each 70 minutes per day spent in light intensity activities and each 30 minutes per day spent getting moderate-to-vigorous intensity, respectively. But for each hour-and-a-half of sedentary time, it was linked to an average 17% higher risk of experiencing heart failure.
“In ambulatory older women, higher amounts of usual daily light and moderate intensity activities were associated with lower risk of developing heart failure with preserved ejection fraction independent of demographic and clinical factors associated with heart failure risk,” Michael J. LaMonte, PhD, lead author and a research professor of epidemiology and environmental health in University at Buffalo—SUNY’s School of Public Health and Health Professions, said in a statement. “Accumulating 3,000 steps per day might be a reasonable target that would be consistent with the amount of daily activity performed by women in this study.”
The study examined two types of heart failure: preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and reduced EF (HFrEF). Women with HFpEF had a similar pattern of lower risk with more light and moderate intensity daily activity, and higher risk with prolonged time staying sedentary.
“This is a major, unique finding of our study because there is very little published data on physical activity and HFpEF, so we are providing new information upon which other studies can build,” LaMonte said. “More importantly, HFpEF is the most common form of heart failure seen in older women and among racial and ethnic minority groups, and at present there are few established treatment options, which makes primary prevention all the more relevant for HFpEF.”
“The potential for light intensity activities of daily life to contribute to the prevention of HFpEF in older women is an exciting and promising result for future studies to evaluate in other groups, including older men,” LaMonte added.
The risk of heart failure, including HFpEF, dropped when women took around 2,500 steps per day. When standardized to 3,600 steps per day, there was a 25% to 30% lower risk of heart failure and HFpEF.
