According to research published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, the timing of physical activity during the day may play an important role in preventing cardiovascular disease. The study examined data involving 86,657 participants (58% female, average age 61.6 years) who wore accelerometers for seven days to track their physical activity patterns.
Researchers identified four distinct “chronoactivity” patterns: average midday, early morning, late morning, and evening exercise. After following participants for about six years, they recorded 3,707 cardiovascular events. The findings showed that participants who exercised more in the late morning had a 16% lower risk of coronary artery disease and a 17% lower risk of stroke compared to those with midday activity patterns.
These benefits appeared to be independent of the total amount of physical activity and were more pronounced in women than men. Interestingly, even people who identified as “evening chronotypes” (night owls) seemed to benefit from morning exercise.
The study introduces the concept of “chronoactivity” – the timing of physical activity – as a potential new dimension in cardiovascular disease prevention. While current guidelines recommend 150-300 minutes of moderate activity weekly, they don’t address the best timing.
Scientists suggest that morning exercise may favorably affect metabolic pathways, glucose levels, and activation of certain genes involved in exercise response. However, the researchers acknowledge that more work is needed to understand the biological mechanisms behind these findings.
For seniors looking to maximize heart health benefits, this research suggests that scheduling more of your physical activity in the morning hours might provide additional cardiovascular protection beyond just meeting weekly exercise targets.