Just A Matter Of 30 Minutes, The Risk Of Death From A Heart Attack Can Drop Drastically

Illustration of home clearing reduces the risk of a heart attack (Freepic)

JAKARTA - Reducing the sitting time by 30 minutes and replacing it with light activities such as cleaning up the house can actually help reduce the risk of death due to a significant heart attack.

This conclusion stems from a recent study highlighting the importance of moving more and sitting less in everyday life.

Research involving about 600 patients with symptoms of heart disease, such as chest pain, found those who replace seat times with mild activity with a lower risk of having a fatal heart attack.

Even light activities such as cleaning the house, walking casually, or gardening can reduce the risk of a heart attack by 50 percent.

Furthermore, those who carry out more intense physical activities such as jogging experienced a decrease in risk of up to 61 percent. Even replacing sitting time with sleep has also proven useful, reducing the risk of emergency visits to hospitals or deaths by up to 17 percent.

West Virginia University Professor Barone Gibbs emphasized that light activity also had a major impact.

"Changing seats with light activities such as cleaning the house or walking slowly is almost as effective as heavy sports such as aerobics or cycling," he said, quoted from the Daily Mail page.

He also suggested that people start getting used to doing any physical activity rather than continuing to sit down.

"Walking, cooking, playing with pets, or gardening, are all beneficial for health," he added.

Lead author of the study, Keith Diaz of Columbia University Medical Center, said that minor changes in daily routines can have a major impact, especially for patients who have just had heart disease symptoms.

No need to go straight to the marathon. Just reduce sitting and add a little movement or sleep, that's already very helpful," he said.

Physical exercise helps strengthen the heart muscle and increase blood circulation. A stronger heart is able to break blood more efficiently, keep blood pressure stable and lower cholesterol levels.

Interestingly, the research team was quite surprised to see that replacing sitting with sleep also had a positive effect.

"Stide is an important recovery time, especially after the body experiences stress due to health problems," Diaz explained.

The NHS in the UK itself advises adults to sleep between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. every night to maintain overall body health.

In a study published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, researchers tracked the activity of 609 patients who had had heart attacks between 2016 and 2020. Patients were given smartwatches that recorded their physical activity for 30 days.

The results showed that the least moving patients had a 2.5 times higher risk of death within one year compared to those active.

Although this study has limitations, such as not taking into account socio-economic factors or lifestyle changes after 30 days, the results remain an important warning, namely that simple daily activities can save lives.

Heart disease is still the largest cause of death in the UK and many other countries. But the good news is, prevention measures can start small. The NHS recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate activity such as fast walking or 75 minutes of severe activity every week.

So, if you usually sit for a long time in front of the screen, maybe now is the time to get up and start moving, cleaning the house can also be the first step to maintain your heart health.