New research shows that people in cardiac rehabilitation who are overweight benefit the most from long slow walks, not short brisk exercise as previously thought.

Seventy-four individuals enrolled in a cardiac rehabilitation program. They were all overweight, had coronary heart disease and were randomly assigned to either a standard rehab exercise program or a program designed to burn about four times as many calories. The standard rehabilitation exercise included 25-40 minutes of brisk walking, biking or rowing three days a week for a total of about 700-800 calories burned per week. The new regiment required 45-60 minutes of slower walking five days a week for a total of about 3,000-3,500 calories burned per week. After only five months, those on the new long walk exercise plan had greater improvement in their insulin sensitivity, cholesterol, blood pressure and cardio as well as respiratory fitness than those in the standard rehabilitation exercise program. They also found that those on the new exercise plan also lost an average of 18 pounds, 13 pounds of body fat and 2.7 inches from their waistline, whereas those on the standard plan only lost 8 pounds, 6 pounds of body fat and 2 inches from their waistline.

“However you lose weight is good for heart patients and should reduce their risk,” said the study’s lead researcher Dr. Philip A. Ades, a professor of medicine and director of cardiac rehabilitation and prevention at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, to HealthDay Reporter, “But don’t forget the exercise. It’s a big part of how to lose weight. Walking daily, walking far, really made a big difference in reducing cardiac risk.”

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