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Oct. 10, 2005 -- The heart perks of moderate intensity exercise are backed by a new study.

"People only need to walk up to 12 miles per week or for about 125 to 200 minutes per week to improve their heart health," says Duke University's Brian Duscha, MSc, in a news release.

"If you increase either your mileage or intensity, by going up an incline or jogging, you will achieve even greater gains," he adds.

The CDC recommends getting at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity on five or more days per week.

Got a couple of extra pounds on you? Been idle for a while? You're exactly the kind of person Duscha's team studied. Their results appear in the journal Chest.

Fitness Newcomers

When the study started, none of the 282 middle-aged people in the study were exercisers.

All were overweight or obese, with cholesterol problems. None smoked or had high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, or medical reasons not to exercise. All of the women had finished menopause.

Participants took exercise tests at the study's beginning and end.

Off the Couch, on the Treadmill

Participants were randomly assigned to four groups:

• No exercise
• A lot of high-intensity exercise (equal to vigorously jogging 20 miles per week)
• A little high-intensity exercise (equal to vigorously jogging 12 miles per week)
• A little moderate exercise (equal to walking 12 weekly miles at a moderate pace)

They were also told not to change their diets or to lose weight during the study.

The study lasted seven to nine months, with some time at the beginning to ramp up to the required exercise levels.

Peak VO₂ was tracked. That's the amount of oxygen that the body consumes during peak exercise performance. Higher VO₂ max means higher fitness level.

Amount of Exercise Mattered Most

Here are the results for the 133 people who finished the study and had usable data:

• Aerobic fitness improved in all three exercise groups.
• Adding more miles boosted aerobic fitness more than raising intensity.

"These findings taken together suggest that amount of exercise may be more important than intensity in achieving increases in peak VO₂," write the researchers.

The drop-outs' results aren't known; 94 people quit the study and results weren't usable for 55 others.

What About Intensity?

Duscha doesn't dismiss intensity.

"Although our results did point toward amount being more important, it is very likely that fitness levels can be improved by increasing either amount or intensity," says Duscha, in a news release.

"This is illustrated by the tiered effect the exercise dose had on fitness improvements across our groups. We believe with more people in the study, increasing intensity would also have been significant," he continues.

Same Weight, Healthier Heart

Remember, the participants were instructed to maintain their weight during the study.

"The participants in our study received the fitness benefits without losing any weight," says Duscha, in a news release.

"Many people exercise to lose weight, and when that doesn't occur, they stop exercising. However, the truth is that you can improve cardiovascular fitness and reduce the risk of heart disease by exercising without losing weight," he says.

Get your doctor's approval before starting a new exercise program.