Thanks to a Swedish study, we can add one more benefit to the list when talking about increasing down-time activity levels: reduced heart failure risks.

The key, it seems, is in how much time was spent in leisure activity doing even moderate levels of activity. These findings are in line with international professional recommendations for increased activity.

First author Kasper Andersen, MD, PhD, of Uppsala University Hospital, and colleagues found that it was the time and intensity spent not at work but at play that had the most benefit.

This study, started in 1997, followed up with 39,805 patients from the National March Cohort through 2010. Activity was defined by light, moderate, or heavy intensity. Persons enrolled were asked to report time spent in work and leisure activities. Seasonal activities were assessed as well. Using the metabolic energy turnover (MET) method, energy expenditure was calculated and assessed over time. Follow-ups acquired further data on continued health and activity levels.

The median non-work-related physical activity per day was 2.6 MET hours. In participants who achieved more leisure time physical activity, lower rates of heart failure were noted. Conversely, fewer MET hours per day increased rates for heart failure. However, over 3 MET hours, little further decrease in risk was noted.

Similar leveling was noted when total daily physical activity was monitored. While the median total physical activity was 36.1 MET hours per day, at 30 MET hours, little additional heart failure protection was seen. Benefit was most noticeable when patients were grouped on order of amount of total physical activity between the group that had the least amount of activity and the next highest order on the scale.

In response to the World Health Organization’s recommendation that adults undergo 150 minutes of moderate activity (3-6 METs) or 75 minutes of vigorous activity (more than six METs) a week, Andersen et al wrote “Additional health benefits are postulated by doubling the amount of physical activity. The present study supports these recommendations in relation to risk of heart failure.”

They recommended that individuals with low daily physical activity should work to increase the amount of time and intensity of their activity to decrease their risks for heart failure and other comorbid conditions in accordance with these findings.

This study was published Sept. 2 in Circulation: Heart Failure.