Exercise far beyond the commonly recommended “150 minutes a week” brings surprising benefits to the heart

A UK Biobank study of more than 17,000 people found that exercising well beyond the usual 150-minute weekly guideline was linked to much lower cardiovascular disease risk.

The biggest benefit appeared at about 560–610 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity per week.

Researchers say heart health improves with substantially more activity than current minimum targets, though any exercise still helps.

The findings support higher activity levels for better cardiovascular protection while keeping practical public-health guidelines in place.