Twenty minutes of daily exercise may cut heart disease risk in over-70s

Moderate physical activity included walking, bowls and fishing, while vigorous activity included gardening, gym workouts, cycling, dancing and swimming. Photograph: Design Pics/Alamy

Twenty minutes of daily moderate to vigorous exercise for those over the age of 70 may help ward off heart disease and heart failure later in life, long-term research suggests.

The findings, published in the journal Heart, reinforce the maxim of “better late than never” when it comes to exercise, but also show the earlier on in older age the better, according to a linked editorial.