According to a research published in an issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, people who walk more or engage themselves in rigorous, regular exercise sessions tend to have reduced levels of coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke.

The authors of this study including Hiroyuki Noda, M.D. and Hiroyasu Iso, M.D., from the University of Tsukuba in Ibaraki and the Graduate School of Medicine at Osaka University in Osaka, Japan, suggested that there is a considerable inverse association between time spent on walking and the possible risks of ischemic stroke and coronary heart disease.

The study was focused on Asian nations where people tend to have higher levels of physical activity while being on the job rather those working in North America or Europe.

From News-Medical.Net:

Interestingly, the analysis suggested that walking and sports may have different effects.

“Our data suggest a potential differential effect of walking versus sports participation on ischemic stroke and coronary heart disease risk. We found that participation in sports was associated with a reduced mortality due to coronary heart disease, but this association did not exist with walking time. Walking time, however, was associated with a reduced risk for mortality from ischemic stroke, but sports participation was not,” they wrote.

By demonstrating an association between walking or sports and reduced cardiovascular disease deaths in this Asian population, similar to the results of studies in Western nations, despite differences in average levels of job-related physical activity, the researchers conclude that “the present study provides epidemiological evidence that engaging in physical activity through walking and sports participation might reduce risk of mortality from ischemic stroke and coronary heart disease among Japanese men and women.”

Russell V. Luepker, M.D., F.A.C.C., at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, though not connected with the study remarked that there seems to be a strong message that supports regular physical activity recommendations in context to walking & sports and the graded reduction of ischemic stroke and coronary heart disease.