Fast walkers are less likely to suffer heart failure than dawdlers, research suggests.
Scientists at Brown University in Rhode Island, tracked the health of 25,000 women over the age of 50, who self-reported their walking speed.
Women who claimed to walk at an 'average' pace — between 2-3mph — were 27 per cent less likely to suffer heart failure than 'casual' walkers, classed as less than 2mph.
And women with the fastest walking pace — over 3mph — faced a 34 per cent lower risk.
Heart failure — when the organ becomes too weak or stiff to pump blood around the body — cannot usually be cured. But the condition can be managed through lifestyle changes, medication or surgery.
Researchers said fast walkers may be fitter and benefit from better cardiovascular health, lowering the risk.
Or the finding could be down to a muscle-mass reducing condition that has been linked with walking at a slow pace and heart failure.
But lead author Dr Charles Eaton said the finding shows walking pace is a marker of heart health.
Women who walk two to three miles per hour are at a 27 per cent reduced risk of being diagnosed with heart failure than those who walk less than two miles per hour, a study of more than 25,000 women aged over-50 found. Pictured: stock of older people walking
He said: 'This study confirms other studies demonstrating the importance of walking speed on mortality and other cardiovascular outcomes.
'Given limited time for exercise is frequently given as a barrier to regular physical activity, walking faster but for less time might provide similar health benefits as the recommended 150 minutes per week of moderate physical activity.'
