Research
Adherence
High leisure-time physical activity is associated with a reduced risk of incident atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ACVD), independent of other lifestyle factors.
Aim for high leisure-time physical activity, defined as >50 MET-hours per week. This can be achieved through various activities of different intensities. This level of activity significantly reduces your risk of heart disease and stroke, even when accounting for your diet and other risk factors.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
High leisure-time physical activity (HR 0.82, 95% CI 0.74–0.91) was associated with reduced risk...
Why this rating
Large prospective cohort, long follow-up, adjusted for traditional risk factors.
Source
Diet and Lifestyle Factors and Risk of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease—A Prospective Cohort Study
Stefan Acosta et al. · Nutrients · 2021
DOI 10.3390/nu13113822
cohort · n=26990Cited 48×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Higher overall diet quality, specifically defined by adherence to Swedish nutrition recommendations for saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, fish, fiber, fruit/vegetables, and sucrose, is associated with a statistically significant reduction in the risk of incident atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ACVD).Good
- Higher intake of fish and shellfish, dietary fiber, and saturated fatty acids (SFA) is independently associated with a reduced risk of incident atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ACVD).Good
- Obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) is associated with an increased risk of incident atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ACVD).Good
Related findings · Adherence
- Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity) reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by 20-30% and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25-35%.Strong
- Increasing physical activity from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one in middle adulthood significantly reduces the risk of coronary events compared to remaining sedentary.Strong
- Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →