Older people who spend a lot of time sitting down, may in the future develop heart failure, the researchers say, Newsmax Health reports.
The research included more than 82,000 men between the ages of 45 and 69. Those who spent more time being sedentary outside of work hours, even if they exercised, had a higher risk for heart failure, reported the researchers from Kaiser Permanente Southern California.
The scientists used data from a large study called the California Men's Health Study. None of the men had heart failure at the start of the study.
Heart failure is the inability of the heart muscle to effectively pump blood throughout the body, said study author Deborah Rohm Young, a senior scientist at Kaiser Permanente in Pasadena, Calif.
"It doesn't even require joining a gym," she said. "Walking is the best exercise for the majority of people. Brisk walking. Thirty minutes a day is wonderful."
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