(Laura Donnelly/ The London Telegraph) — Don’t take it easy after a heart attack – regular exercise halves the chance of early death, a study has found.
Researchers said patients should be prescribed activity to boost their survival chances, in the light of the findings.
Swedish researchers examined data on more than 22,000 patients aged between 18 and 74 who had a heart attack between 2005 and 2013.
Those who increased their activity in the year after the attack, or maintained high levels of activity, were more than 50 per cent more likely than those with sedentary lifestyles to be alive four years later, the study found.
Fitness was assessed by asking patients how many times they exercised for 30 minutes or more during a week, with the question repeated a year later. Patients were classed as inactive if they did one or less session a week, and active if they did between two and seven such sessions weekly. (…)