Background: One-half of Americans currently meet guideline physical activity levels. For these individuals, exceeding guideline levels may provide additional health benefits.
Methods: Incident physician-diagnosed myocardial infarction and angina, revascularization procedures (CABG, PTCA), and ischemic heart disease deaths during 7.7-year follow-up were compared to baseline usual distance run in 35,402 male runners.
Results: Men reported 467 incident CHD and the National Death Index identified an additional 54 ischemic heart disease deaths. Per km/day run, the men's risks declined 5% for fatal and nonfatal CHD (P=0.001), nonfatal CHD (P=0.0008), and revascularization procedures (P=0.002). Their risks for nonfatal myocardial infarctions and angina declined 7% (P=0.02) and 10% (P=0.003), respectively. Compared to <3km/day run (upper limit guideline level), >9km/day run produced risks 65% lower for angina (P=0.008), 29% lower for nonfatal CHD (P=0.04), and 26% lower for fatal and nonfatal CHD (P=0.06).
Conclusions: Exceeding guideline physical activity levels produce important CHD-risk reductions.
Copyright 2009. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.