Four minutes of daily exertion can halve heart attack risk in women, finds study

Bursts of intense movement such as climbing stairs can make big difference to health, finds UK Biobank research

Women who add four minutes a day of high-intensity routine activities such as climbing the stairs instead of taking a lift could halve their risk of heart attacks, a study suggests.

Less than five minutes of brief bouts of exertion in everyday life could have a significant effect on heart health, reducing the risk of serious cardiovascular events, researchers found. The results were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.