Walking Can Reduce Heart Failure Risk in Older Women

Walking can significantly reduce the risk of heart failure in older women, according to a new study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women, with about 610,000 people dying nationwide each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While heart disease is considered to be a "man's disease," the same number of women and men die each year from it.

There are several risk factors that play a role in the development of heart disease in women, but the Mayo Clinic has flagged a lack of physical activity as a major risk.

Despite this, research has suggested women may be more inactive than men.

Researchers from the University at Buffalo conducted a study of more than 137,000 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 to see how much of an effect walking could have on their heart health.

"Because heart failure is much more common after age 60, and because its treatment is very challenging and costly, the possibility of preventing its development by promoting increased physical activity levels, and specifically walking, in later life could have an important impact on the overall burden of this disease in an aging society," Michael LaMonte, the study's lead author, said in a statement.

Researchers found strong evidence that an increase in physical activity lowered the incidence of overall heart failure.

Just an additional 30 to 45 minutes per day of activity was associated with a risk reduction of 9 percent for overall heart failure.

According to the study, the amount of activity was more relevant than the intensity, which suggested that light exercise such as walking could go a long way in preventing heart failure later in life.

"The finding that walking showed a protective association with heart failure and its subtypes is particularly important in a public health context," LaMonte said. "This is especially relevant given that walking is by far the most commonly reported physical activity in older adults."

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