Moderate to vigorous exercise is the most beneficial for heart health, followed by light exercise, sleeping or standing.

Any activity – even sleeping or standing – is better for your heart than sitting down, research suggests.

New evidence reinforces why sedentary behaviour is a killer and shows that just a few minutes of exercise per day could help slash the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Researchers suggested that swapping time spent sitting down for exercise led to better cholesterol levels, helps people stay a healthy weight and leads to a smaller waist circumference.