Older women who regularly wash up, clean their house and cook meals have healthier hearts than those who avoid housework, research claims
- Elderly women who did 4 hours of chores a day cut their risk of death by 62%
- Activities included dishwashing, cooking and gardening helped keep hearts fit
- Californian researchers measured impact of light daily activity on 5,500 women
Women who regularly wash dishes, clean the house and cook meals have healthier hearts than those who sit back and take it easy, a study suggests.
Researchers found women over the age of 63 who did at least four hours of ‘daily life movement’ such as housework and cooking slashed their risk of a death from a heart attack or stroke by almost two thirds.
Previous studies have shown the importance of regular dedicated exercise such as brisk walking, in maintaining heart health for older women.
But this the new research shows even less demanding activities like gardening or household chores can also help women stay healthier and potentially live longer.
Heart disease, is one biggest causes of death for women in the UK, killing about 24,000 a year, about 66 each day.
It is the leading cause of death for women in the US, responsible for a fifth of all deaths among females recorded in 2015.
Researchers found older women who undertake at least four hours of activities like cleaning or cooking per day have much healthier hearts than those who only do two or less hours of similar activity
In the latest research, medics from the University of California measured the physical activity of nearly 5,500 American women aged between 63-and-97 years of age who did not have cardiovascular disease at the start of the study.
Participants wore wear a accelerometer for up to seven days to measure what type of and how much physical activity they were doing.
At the study conclusion, 616 women were diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, 268 with coronary heart disease, 253 had a stroke, and 331 died of cardiovascular disease. (CHECKING, length of study)
Analysing the data, which was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the researchers found that women who did at least four hours of ‘daily life movement’ had a 62 per cent lower chance of cardiovascular death compared to those who did less than two hours.
Daily life movement was defined in study as simple routine activities which include moving about, such as cooking, household chores, gardening and showering.
Women who did more of these activities had a 43 per cent lower risk of having cardiovascular disease overall, and specifically had a 43 per cent lower risk of coronary heart disease and a 30per lower risk of a stroke.
Cardiovascular disease is a general term for variety of conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels usually due to the build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries.
It includes conditions like coronary heart disease which can lead to heart attacks, and medical emergencies like a stroke caused by the blood supply to the brain being blocked.
Dr Steve Nguyen, author of the research said the study results showed the difference even little bits of movement could make to cardiovascular health.
‘The study demonstrates that all movement counts towards disease prevention,’ he said.
‘Spending more time in daily life movement, which includes a wide range of activities we all do while on our feet and out of our chairs, resulted in a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.’
Professor Andrea LaCroix, an expert in epidemiology, and another author of the study, said encouraging older adults to engage in this lighter form of physical activity could have health benefits.
‘Understanding the benefits of daily life movement and adding this to physical activity guidelines may encourage more movement,’ she said.
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