American College of Cardiology urges doctors to prescribe exercise for heart health

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) has issued a new scientific statement recommending that physical exercise be prescribed as a foundational component for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Published in the journal JACC, the statement suggests that exercise should be treated with a level of importance comparable to managing blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, and smoking cessation.

The guidelines emphasize that exercise prescriptions must be individualized, safe, achievable, and sustainable based on a patient's specific diagnosis and functional capacity. A key finding is that low cardiorespiratory fitness is a predictor of future cardiovascular disease on par with traditional risk factors.

Experts note that patients do not need to become athletes to see significant health improvements. Even modest increases in activity can produce meaningful benefits, particularly for sedentary individuals. For instance, data suggests that achieving between 5,000 and 7,000 steps per day is associated with clinically important reductions in cardiovascular and all-cause mortality, challenging the idea that 10,000 steps is the minimum requirement for benefit.