Roundup: Too Much Sitting Raises Risk of a Second ‘Cardiovascular Event’ Within One Year; and More News

Study: Limiting Sedentary Time May Help Prevent Future Heart Problems After a Cardiac Event

Researchers have found that individuals who spend more than 14 hours a day sedentary following a hospital visit for heart-related symptoms face a significantly increased risk of another cardiovascular event—or even death—within one year.

A research team from Columbia University Medical Center monitored over 600 patients between the ages of 21 and 96 who had been treated for chest pain or heart attacks at a New York City hospital system. After discharge, participants wore wrist accelerometers for approximately 30 days to track daily activity and sedentary behavior. The new study was published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, a journal of the American Heart Association (AHA),

Sedentary behavior in the study was defined as any waking activity with little or no movement. Unlike earlier studies that relied on patient memory or self-reports, this research used wrist accelerometers to more precisely assess physical activity levels. These devices measured movement across three dimensions—forward-backward, side-to-side, and up-down—providing a more objective account of time spent active versus sedentary.

The findings were striking: individuals in the least active group, who averaged 15.6 hours per day being sedentary, were 2.58 times more likely to suffer another heart issue or die within a year compared to those in the most active group, who averaged 11.7 hours of sedentary time daily.

The Benefits of Small Changes

The researchers emphasized that even modest reductions in sedentary time can yield significant health benefits. Replacing just 30 minutes of sedentary time with 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity, such as brisk walking or dancing, reduced the risk of future cardiovascular events or death by 61 percent. Even lighter physical activities, like gardening or slow walking, were associated with a 50% risk reduction. Interestingly, simply replacing sedentary time with sleep lowered the risk by 14%.

“We were surprised that replacing sedentary time with sleep also lowered risk,” said lead study author Keith Diaz, Ph.D., the Florence Irving Associate Professor of Behavioral Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center and a certified exercise physiologist, in a news release. “Sleep is a restorative behavior that helps the body and mind recover, which is especially important after a serious health event like a heart attack.”

Dr. Diaz added: “Our study indicates that one doesn’t have to start running marathons after a cardiovascular event to see benefits. Sitting less and moving or sleeping a little more can make a real difference.”

Activity Patterns Among Participants

The study divided participants into three activity groups:

• Most Active: Averaged 143.8 minutes of light activity, 25 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity, 11.7 hours sedentary, and 8.4 hours of sleep per day.
• Moderately Active: Averaged 109.2 minutes of light activity, 11.4 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity, 13.5 hours sedentary, and 7.8 hours of sleep.
• Least Active: Averaged only 82.2 minutes of light activity, 2.7 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity, 15.6 hours sedentary, and 6.6 hours of sleep.

These differences in behavior translated into varying levels of cardiovascular risk in the year following their hospital visit.

Both sleep and physical activity are included in the American Heart Association’s “Life’s Essential 8,” a set of behaviors and health factors linked to optimal cardiovascular health. The AHA also notes that sleep quality—including consistency, satisfaction, and duration—is closely tied to cardiometabolic outcomes.

Researchers note that the study’s definition of sedentary behavior was based solely on the intensity of movement. As a result, the total sedentary time may have been overestimated in some cases.

Minimally Processed Plant-Based Proteins Linked to Lower Risk of High Blood Pressure, Study Finds

A study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association has found that consuming more minimally processed plant-based proteins—such as beans, nuts, and lentils—may significantly reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, affects nearly half of U.S. adults and is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and other serious health conditions. While it is well-established that dietary patterns rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy—combined with low levels of sodium and saturated fats—can help control blood pressure, the specific role of proteins in managing hypertension has been less clear.

To shed light on this area, researchers examined how the amount and variety of protein sources, both plant-based and animal-based, impacted the likelihood of developing high blood pressure over time. The findings suggest that not only the quantity but also the quality of protein sources matters, especially when it comes to plant-based foods.

Study Overview

The research team analyzed dietary and health data from 2,294 adults participating in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. At the start of the study, none of the participants had a history of high blood pressure. The average participant was 58 years old and was monitored for up to 18 years, with a median follow-up period of nine years.

Participants completed a comprehensive 120-item food questionnaire, detailing their consumption of various protein sources. On average, they consumed 68 grams of protein per day, 24 grams of which came from plant-based sources. In addition, participants reported consuming approximately nine different types of protein each week.

Key Findings

The study found a clear association between higher consumption of minimally processed plant-based proteins and a reduced risk of hypertension. Specifically, for every additional 20 grams of plant protein consumed per day, the risk of developing high blood pressure dropped by 16% when compared with those who consumed the least plant-based protein. However, this protective effect appeared to plateau at 30 grams of plant protein per day.

While the study did not find strong evidence that eating animal-based protein raised the risk of hypertension, it also did not show significant benefits. Moderation, particularly with minimally processed options, appeared to be key.

The diversity of protein sources also yielded unexpected results. While variety is often promoted as part of a healthy diet, in this case, eating a broader range of plant proteins was linked to a higher risk of hypertension. Researchers suspect this may be due to the inclusion of highly processed plant-based protein products in the diets of those consuming more diverse plant proteins.

“Their eating patterns started to move toward less healthy plant protein options,” explained Dr. Marcia Otto, senior author of the study and a nutritional epidemiologist at UT Health Houston School of Public Health. “Our study focused on foods, not the plant-based supplements that can be found on store shelves.”

Practical Implications

The findings emphasize the importance of focusing on minimally processed, whole-food sources of plant protein such as legumes, nuts, seeds, and soy products like tofu or edamame. These foods offer a rich array of nutrients and fiber, which may contribute to their beneficial effects on blood pressure.

Examples of protein content in common foods include:

• 3 ounces of canned light tuna: about 22 grams of protein
• 1 cup of store-bought hummus: about 19 grams
• 1 cup of boiled lima beans: about 15 grams

NIH Study Finds Blood and Urine Markers That Reveal How Much Ultra-Processed Food You Eat

If you've ever struggled to remember what you ate last week — or even yesterday — you're not alone. Many health studies rely on people to report their own food intake, but self-reported data isn't always accurate. Now, researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have found a more objective way to measure how much ultra-processed food a person eats — by analyzing their blood and urine.

Ultra-processed foods are highly manufactured items that are ready to eat or heat, like chips, sugary cereals, frozen meals, and sodas. They're usually high in calories and low in important nutrients. Diets heavy in these foods have been linked to health problems like obesity, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.

The Science Behind the Discovery

When we eat, our bodies break food down into smaller compounds called metabolites. These are what’s left after your body converts food into energy. NIH researchers looked at patterns of these metabolites in blood and urine to see if they could tell how much ultra-processed food someone had eaten — and it turns out, they could.

Using data from over 700 older adults who provided dietary information and samples over a year, plus a small clinical trial involving 20 adults who ate both ultra-processed and unprocessed diets, the researchers found hundreds of metabolite markers linked to ultra-processed food intake.

They then created a "poly-metabolite score" — a kind of fingerprint made up of multiple metabolites — that reflected how much of someone's energy came from ultra-processed foods. This score was able to tell the difference between when someone was eating a diet full of processed foods versus a cleaner, whole-food diet.

Lead researcher Erikka Loftfield, M.D., of the National Cancer Institute, said in a news release: “Self-reported diets have their limits. With this method, we can get a clearer, more accurate picture of what people are actually eating and how it might affect their health.”

This new tool could be a game-changer in large nutrition studies, helping scientists better understand how ultra-processed foods impact long-term health without relying solely on food diaries or surveys.

The researchers stress that this is just the beginning. Since the study mainly involved older U.S. adults, they’ll need to see how well the findings apply to other age groups and people with different diets. Future research will also look at how these metabolite scores relate to diseases like cancer and diabetes.