Exercise is generally considered to be beneficial for health, although the form of exercise is important and the timing of the exercise also plays an important role. A current study shows at what time of day exercise achieves the greatest reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease and premature death.
In the study, researchers from the University of Sydney examined the effects of the timing of training on the risk of cardiovascular disease, microvascular disease and early death and published the results in the journal “Diabetes Care”.
Morning exercise versus evening exercise
Previous research has already shown that morning exercise and evening exercise have different effects on the body and that we should exercise at the right time of day for optimal fat burning.
The researchers now examined how the time of day influences the effect of training on the risk of cardiovascular disease and the risk of early death using data from almost 30,000 adults with obesity and a subgroup with obesity and type 2 diabetes.
The data came from a sub-study by the UK Biobank, in which movement was also recorded using accelerometers. Moderate to intense aerobic exercise was defined as at least three minutes of continuous exercise.
The researchers divided the participants into morning, afternoon or evening exercisers according to their movement patterns. According to the team, people who averaged less than one aerobic exercise session per day served as a control group.
Evening exercise reduces risk the most
Over a mean follow-up period of almost eight years, 1,425 deaths, 3,980 cardiovascular diseases and 2,162 microvascular diseases occurred among the participants, the experts report.
Compared to the reference group, training in the evening was associated with the greatest reduction in the risk of death, while exercise in the afternoon and morning also brought about a significant risk reduction, but to a significantly smaller extent, according to the research team.
Similar patterns occurred in the incidence of cardiovascular and microvascular diseases and evening training had the best effect here too. In the subgroup of participants with diabetes, the results were comparable, the researchers add.
Take training timing into account
Overall, evening aerobic training leads to the greatest reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease, microvascular disease and early death, and based on these findings, the timing of physical activity could also be given more consideration in obesity and diabetes treatment in the future , the researchers summarize. (fp)
