How many push-ups you can do in a minute could potentially indicate your risk of heart disease, according to a study published online. Harvard researchers examined data from 1,104 healthy firefighters, with an average age of 40 and no prior cardiovascular issues.
Each participant completed as many push-ups as possible in 60 seconds and underwent treadmill tests to assess cardiovascular health and aerobic fitness. After a decade, the researchers observed that individuals who initially performed the most push-ups had the lowest likelihood of developing heart disease.
Specifically, those capable of 40 or more push-ups had a 96% lower risk compared to those managing 10 or fewer. Even those able to do at least 11 push-ups had a reduced risk, with greater benefits seen with higher numbers.
Although high performance on treadmill tests also correlated with lower heart disease risk, push-up capacity proved equally effective as a predictor.
