Study: Exercise 4 Times Per Week to Lower Risk of Heart Disease

Heart disease remains the world's leading cause of death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 610,000 people in the United States die each year from it. The good news is that there are ways to lower your risk of heart disease, including eating the right foods. Increasing your intake of fish -- salmon, tilapia, mackerel, etc.-- will provide your body with omega-3 fatty acids that reduce cholesterol levels in the blood and, subsequently, lower your risk of heart disease. However, exercise is equally is important, as new evidence shows that exercising on a regular basis can lower the risk of heart disease.

The study, published in The Journal of Physiology, revealed that people who exercises for just four times per week resulted in improved artery health and a lower risk of heart disease. After analyzing the medical reports of more than 102 people, all of whom were over the age of 60, researchers found that exercising for two or three days per week resulted in reduced artery stiffening. Participants who exercises for four or five days per week, however, experienced larger arteries with the least amount of stiffening.

These findings are important because medical experts say that both artery size and stiffness affect a person's risk of heart disease. When the arteries become too small or too stiff, the risk of stroke and heart attack increases. Therefore, exercising on a regular basis may protect you from heart disease and related illness.

"This work is really exciting because it enables us to develop exercise programmes to keep the heart youthful and even turn back time on older hearts and blood vessels. Previous work by our group has shown that waiting until 70 is too late to reverse a heart's ageing, as it is difficult to change cardiovascular structure even with a year of training," wrote the study's researchers.

So, what type of exercise should you focus on to reap its heart health benefits? Not surprisingly, aerobic exercise offers the greatest benefits for the heart. Also known as cardiovascular exercise, it involves any physical activity that elevates your heart rate and engages your muscles. Running and jogging are some of the most popular forms of aerobic exercise. Whether you do it outdoors on the pavement or indoors on a treadmill, running and jogging is a great way to improve your heart health while staying fit in the process.