Morning physical activity is associated with the lowest risk of heart disease and stroke, according to a study in more than 85,000 individuals published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology. The findings were consistent regardless of the total amount of daily activity.
“It is well established that exercise is good for heart health, and our study indicates that morning activity seems to be most beneficial,” said study author Ms. Gali Albalak of Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands. “The findings were particularly pronounced in women, and applied to both early birds and night owls.”
The study used data from the UK Biobank. It included 86,657 adults aged 42 to 78 years who were free of cardiovascular disease at baseline. The average age was 62 years and 58% were women. Participants wore an activity tracker…