Reduce cardiovascular risk by 2,000 walking steps

Simply by walking an additional 2,000 steps a day, people with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), prediabetes and cardiovascular disease, can reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke. This is the result of research by British scientists, published in the medical journal "The Lancet" on December 20.

Photo: altereacademia.com.br

The University of Leicester team of scientists (UK), after conducting tests for 9,300 adults with IGT , at risk or diagnosed with heart disease in 40 countries, confirmed the benefits. of reducing body weight, reducing fat in diet and regular exercise regime.

The scientists found that patients who took an additional 2,000 steps - about 20 minutes of moderate walking every day, would reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 8% after 6 years of implementation.

According to scientist Thomas Yates, head of the research group, people with IGT have a very high risk of cardiovascular disease. Yates said that although there have been previous studies that appreciate the benefits of physical activity on health, especially of people with IGT, this is the first study to identify specific benefits. Benefits of changing walking habits for people at risk of heart disease.

It is known that in the world, about 344 million adults (7.9%) have IGT. It is predicted that this figure will increase to 472 million people (8.4%) by 2030.