ISLAMABAD: Scientists from Cambridge University have conducted a comprehensive study on the benefits of walking and its impact on life expectancy.
The study covered 196 peer-reviewed articles, with over 30 million participants from some 94 study cohorts. It stated that just 11 minutes of daily brisk walking could prevent one in 10 early deaths.
The study also showed that doing 75 minutes of moderate exercise can significantly reduce the risk of dying prematurely, which is half the amount of the 150 minutes recommended by Britain’s National Health Service.
Dr Soren Brage from Cambridge’s Medical Research Council expressed that these findings should be good news for individuals who find the idea of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week challenging.
He suggested that individuals start with 75 minutes a week and gradually increase to the full recommended amount.
Benefits of daily walk
The study also showed that engaging in activities such as hiking, biking, or playing tennis that raise the heart rate and still allow you to speak can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, different types of cancer, and myeloid leukaemia.
By taking 11 minutes off your day, you can bring down the risk of some cancers by 7 percent, cardiovascular disease by 17 percent, and the chances of early death by up to 23 percent. The study’s results are published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Prof. James Woodcock from Cambridge University commented that even if an individual can only manage 10 minutes of walking daily, it still substantially benefits heart health and reduces the risk of cancer.
