(HealthDay News) — Higher daily life movement (DLM) is independently associated with a lower risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in older women, according to a study published online Feb. 22 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Steve Nguyen, Ph.D., from University of California in San Diego, and colleagues examined the associations of seven-day, accelerometer-measured DLM with incident CVD. The analysis included 5,416 older women (aged 63 to 97 years) participating in the Women’s Health Initiative Objective Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health study and free of baseline CVD.
The researchers found that 616 women has a cardiovascular disease diagnosis, 268 had a coronary heart disease diagnosis, 253 had a stroke diagnosis and 331 died of cardiovascular disease. Women with at least four hours of daily life movement had a 43% lower risk for cardiovascular disease, 43% lower risk for coronary heart disease, 30% lower risk for stroke, and notably, a 62% lower risk for cardiovascular disease death.
“The study demonstrates that all movement counts towards disease prevention,” Nguyen said in a statement. “Spending more time in daily life movement, which includes a wide range of activities we all do while on our feet and out of our chairs, resulted in a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.”
