Want to avoid heart attacks? Just 'walk briskly'

Women who exercise regularly after menopause “by walking briskly” experience reduced risk of heart problems, a recent study released in the United States has revealed.

The Professional Association of German Internists (BDI) said on Tuesday in Munich that even walking briskly for more than 10 minutes daily helps the heart.

It therefore encouraged women to engage in the simple exercise, warning of series of heart problems affecting older women, such as Atrial Fibrillation (AF), a common type of irregular heartbeat.

According to the institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, California, monitored 81,000 postmenopausal women between the ages of 50 and 79.

It said the study found out that it was important for older women to be active, particularly those with an added risk factor for heart problems, such as being overweight.

“The women in the study who walked briskly for a half-hour at least six times a week or rode a bicycle for an hour twice a week were 10 per cent less likely to develop AF than inactive women,” it said.

“Women who exercise more moderately, mostly those who walked briskly for a half-hour twice a week, for example, cut their AF risk by 6 per cent.”