Exercising in the morning would promote good cardiovascular health

Jan 25, 2023
Sébastien Bouley

The impact of the rhythm of daily physical activity (here called “chronoactivity”) on the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains unknown. The aim of this study is to examine the associations between chronoactivity and different cardiovascular outcomes based on physical activity data from the UK-Biobank.

The study included 86,657 people (58% women, mean age: 61.6 [SD: 7.8] years, mean BMI: 26.6 [4.5] kg/m2). Over a 6-year follow-up period, 3,707 cardiovascular events were reported. Risk models were used to estimate hazard ratios comparing different groups adjusted for age and sex and baseline cardiovascular risk factors . Stratified analyzes were performed by gender, mean activity level, and self-reported sleep chronotype.

  • Overall, participants who tended to engage in physical activity in the late morning (11 a.m.) had a lower risk of incident coronary heart disease compared to participants with a midday physical activity pattern.
  • These effects were more pronounced in women (P-value for interaction = 0.001).
  • No evidence were found in the study to support a modification of the effect by total activity level and sleep chronotype.

Independent of total physical activity, morning physical activity (between 8 and 11 a.m.) was associated with lower risks of incident cardiovascular disease, highlighting the potential importance of chronoactivity in CVD prevention.

To know more, you can consult the study.

If you want to promote healthy and sustainable food among your staff, Orchidali can support you in organizing workshops and awareness programs on healthy and sustainable food that can be part of your company’s CSR framework (in french).