For the roughly 805,000 people who have a heart attack every year in the United States, avoiding a second heart attack is a major goal.
And new research published in the American Heart Association’s journal, Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, has a few tips to do just that.
The study, which was conducted by researchers at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, found that avoiding a sedentary lifestyle is the best way to fight off a second heart attack or other cardiac event, including chest pain or heart-related surgery.
The study followed 609 people ages 21 to 96 who went to the emergency department with symptoms of a heart attack. After leaving the hospital, participants wore movement trackers on their wrists for 30 days. Researchers then followed up a year later to see if additional cardiac events or death occurred.
Researchers found that those who replaced 30 minutes of sedentary behavior with 30 minutes of light movement of any kind, such as a slow walk or house chores, had a 50% lower chance of having a second heart attack or cardiac event. When folks replaced 30 minutes of sedentary behavior with moderate or vigorous exercise, like a jog or bike ride, their chance of a second heart attack or cardiac event dropped by 61%.
