Brisk walking has major health benefits London - Arabstoday Brisk walking reduces the risk of heart disease more effectively than running when the energy expenditure of both activities is balanced out, British newspaper the Guardian has reported. Researchers have compared data from two studies of 33,060 runners and 15,045 walkers, and for the same amount of energy used, walkers experienced greater health benefits than runners. According to the Guardian, the effects on participants, who were aged 18 to 80, were observed over a period of six years. Running reduced the risk of heart disease by 4.5 percent while walking reduced it by 9.3 percent. The study also showed that calorie for calorie, walking also had a stronger impact on heart disease risk factors. The risk of first-time high blood pressure was reduced by 4.2 percent by running and 7.2 percent by walking. First-time high cholesterol risk was lowered by 4.3 percent by running and 7 percent by walking. The risk of first-time diabetes was reduced by about 12 percent by both walking and running. The research has been reported in the American Heart Association journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.