London: Moderate exercise in midlife can help protect your heart, according to a new research.
Researchers from the University College London found that people who did the recommended 2.5 hours of exercise a week had lower levels of inflammatory markers in their blood.
Even those who make the switch in their late 40s and 50s can still benefit, the BBC News reported.
The study of over 4,000 people found that those who said they consistently stuck to the recommended amount of exercise for the entire 10-year study had the lowest inflammatory levels overall.
Even those who said they only started doing the recommended amount of exercise when they were well into their 40s saw an improvement and had lower levels of inflammation than people who said they never did enough exercise.
The exercise need not be a hard toil in a gym - gardening and brisk walks count towards the required 2.5 hours of moderate activity per week, said experts.
The findings were unchanged when the researchers took into consideration other factors, such as obesity and smoking, which could have influenced the results in the group of UK civil servants who were included in the study.
"We should be encouraging more people to get active - for example, walking instead of taking the bus. You can gain health benefits from moderate activity at any time in your life," Dr Mark Hamer, lead researcher, said.
The study is published in the journal Circulation.
PTI
