Exercise Type and Intensity in Relation to Coronary Heart Disease in Men

To assess the amount, type, and intensity of physical activity in relation to risk of CHD among men. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A cohort of 44 452 US men enrolled in the Health Professionals' Follow-up Study, followed up at 2-year intervals from 1986 through January 31, 1998, to assess potential CHD risk factors, identify newly diagnosed cases of CHD, and assess levels of leisure-time physical activity. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Incident nonfatal myocardial infarction or fatal CHD occurring during the follow-up period.

During 475 755 person-years, we documented 1700 new cases of CHD. Total physical activity, running, weight training, and rowing were each inversely associated with risk of CHD. The RRs (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) corresponding to quintiles of metabolic equivalent tasks (METs) for total physical activity adjusted for age, smoking, and other cardiovascular risk factors were 1.0, 0.90 (0.78-1.04), 0.87 (0.75-1.00), 0.83 (0.71-0.96), and 0.70 (0.59-0.82) (P