WALKING is just as good for your heart as running, according to US scientists who studied the benefits of exercise.

A brisk walk proved to lower the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes slightly more than the same amount of energy expended on vigorous activities.

Scientists said that walking for an hour would be roughly equivalent to a half-hour run in heart-health terms. "Walking and running provide an ideal test of the health benefits of moderate-intensity walking and vigorous-intensity running because they involve the same muscle groups and the same activities performed at different intensities," said Paul T. Williams, of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, who led the study.
"The more the runners ran and the walkers walked, the better off they were in health benefits. If the amount of energy expended was the same between the two groups, then the health benefits    were comparable."                        

The risk of high cholesterol fell by 4.3 per cent for running each kilometre but by 7 per cent for walking; the risk of heart disease by 4.5 per cent for running compared with 9.3 per cent for walking, and the risk of diabetes by 12 per cent for both running and walking.
The differences were not big enough to say firmly that walking was better than running, said the report in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology. Dr Williams said: "Walking may be a more sustainable activity for some when compared to running. However, those who choose running end up exercising twice as much as those that choose walking ... probably because they can do twice as much in an hour. People are always looking for an excuse not to exercise but now they have a straightforward choice to run or to walk and invest in their future health."                                       
The study echoes official advice from chief medical officers in Britain who say that activities such as gardening, walking and golf count towards recommended levels of exercise.
People are advised to do two and a half hours of moderate activity a week, or an hour and a quarter of vigorous exercise, both of which can be taken in ten-minute bursts.Previous research has suggested that intensive exercise, such as running, causes more injuries to joints and muscles but recent studies have cast doubt on that link, concluding that exercise may be good for joints and ward off arthritis in the long term.
Doireann Maddock, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: "These scientists have shown us that any brisk physical activity, not just those long, exhausting runs, can be great news for your heart health. We know the best type of activity for your heart is moderate-intensity aerobic activity and that includes walking, as long as you feel warmer, breathe harder and your heart beats faster than usual.
"Whether it's walking, jogging or running, staying active will help to control your weight, reduce blood pressure and cholesterol and improve your mental health."
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