Higher Daily Life Movement Cuts CVD Risk in Older Women

WEDNESDAY, March 9, 2022 (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 were diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, 268 were diagnosed with coronary heart disease, 253 had a stroke, and 331 died of cardiovascular disease. Women with at least four hours of daily life movement had a 43 percent lower risk for cardiovascular disease, 43 percent lower risk for coronary heart disease, 30 percent lower risk for stroke, and notably, a 62 percent 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.”

Abstract/Full Text