Study Finds 560-610 Weekly Exercise Minutes Cut Heart Risk 30%, Tripling U.S. Guidelines
Updated
Updated · Prevention Magazine · Jun 8
Study Finds 560-610 Weekly Exercise Minutes Cut Heart Risk 30%, Tripling U.S. Guidelines
2 articles · Updated · Prevention Magazine · Jun 8
Summary
More than 17,000 adults tracked for 7.8 years saw cardiovascular risk reductions top 30% when weekly exercise reached 560 to 610 minutes, far above the current U.S. baseline recommendation.
The study linked the benefit largely to higher VO2 max, with the standard 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity tied to a more modest 8% to 9% risk reduction.
People with lower starting fitness needed roughly 30 to 50 extra minutes to reach similar gains, suggesting a one-size-fits-all target may miss important differences.
Only 12% of participants logged at least 560 minutes, underscoring that researchers and clinicians frame the takeaway as accumulating more movement across the week, not just formal workouts.