An 11-minute brisk walk daily could prevent one in 10 premature deaths worldwide, says the largest ever study of its kind. This equals 75 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week, half the weekly 150 minutes recommended by the NHS.
The study conducted by Cambridge University experts has found that brisk walking, dancing, riding a bike, playing tennis or hiking can all substantially cut the risks of early death, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers, including those of the head and neck and myeloid leukaemia.
Globally, one in 10 early deaths could be avoided if everyone met just half the recommended weekly target of 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity, the largest ever pooled data analysis suggests. The results were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Moderate-intensity physical activity is defined as activity that raises the heart rate and makes people breathe faster, but not so fast they cannot speak.
Researchers looked at 196 peer-reviewed articles, covering more than 30 million participants from 94 large study cohorts. They then examined the association between levels of physical activity and the risk of heart disease, cancer and early death. Accumulating 75 minutes a week of moderate intensity activity lowered the risk of early death by 23%, they found. It was also enough to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 17% and cancer by 7%.
