The research: The Australian study team analyzed nearly 20 years of health and heart disease data on more than 32,000 women. Using a statistical measure called PAR (which calculates the number of people who would be saved from a disease if everyone avoided a specific risk factor), the researchers found that, for women older than 30, physical inactivity was a bigger contributor to heart disease rates than high BMI or even smoking. More from Prevention: Lower Your Risk for Heart Disease in 28 Days What it means: Spending all your time being one with your couch is not worse for your heart than smoking, the study authors say. Rather, their findings indicate that, statistically, a lack of exercise is a bigger contributor to population heart disease rates than puffing on tobacco. Put simply, physical inactivity is more common than smoking, and so a lack of exercise leads to more cases of heart disease. On the other hand, the research did show a lack of exercise is more likely to result in heart disease than a BMI in the overweight or obese range. “Regular physical activity in young adulthood reduces the risk of heart disease by up to 50%,” says study coauthor Wendy J. Brown, PhD, of the University of Queensland. And this reduction applies to all forms of cardiovascular disease—including hypertension and stroke, Brown adds. The bottom line: For women over 30, exercising regularly is among the most important steps you can take to protect your heart. And the more you exercise, the more your risk for heart disease plummets, Brown says. She recommends a bare minimum of 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day, no fewer than 5 days a week. A full hour of exercise every day is an even better goal, she adds. (Need help fitting it in? Check out these 25 ways to squeeze in 10 minutes of exercise.) More from Prevention: 10 News Ways To Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally
