A new US study has reported that a half-hour daily dose of moderate exercise, such as walking, may be more effective than rigorous exercise to protect against cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Lead author and exercise physiologist Cris Slentz, of Duke University Medical Centre, reported, ‘On the surface, it seems to make sense that the harder we exercise, the better off we’ll be, and by some measures that’s true. But our studies show that a modest amount of moderately intense exercise is the best way to significantly lower the level of a key blood marker linked to higher risk of heart disease and diabetes. More intense exercise doesn’t seem to do that.’

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