11 minutes of brisk walking a day would be enough to prevent one in 10 premature deaths. This is what the authors of a study published in the ‘British Journal of Sports Medicine’ claim, according to which this effect could be obtained if everyone managed at least half the level recommended physical activity. The team led by researchers at the University of Cambridge calculates that 75 minutes a week – 11 a day – of moderate-intensity physical activity, such as a brisk walk, but not only, are capable of having a protective effect. Experts say they would be enough to lower the risk of conditions such as heart disease, stroke and a number of cancers.
The National Health Service (NHS) recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity per week. This is the starting point. To explore the amount of physical activity needed to have a beneficial impact on various chronic diseases and the risk of premature death, researchers from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis, pooling and analyzing cohort data from all published trials. This approach allowed them to bring together studies that alone did not provide enough evidence and sometimes disagreed with each other to provide more robust conclusions.
In total, they reviewed findings reported in 196 peer-reviewed articles, covering more than 30 million participants from 94 large study cohorts, to produce the largest analysis to date of the association between physical activity levels and risk of heart disease, cancer and premature death. The scientists found that outside of work-related physical activity, two in three people reported activity levels of less than 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity, and less than one in 10 managed more than 300 minutes a week. week. Overall, the authors found that beyond 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity activity, the additional benefits in terms of reducing the risk of illness or premature death were marginal. And that even half that amount brought significant benefits: Accumulating 75 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity resulted in a 23% lower risk of premature death.
“If you find the idea of 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week daunting – observes Soren Brage of the MRC’s epidemiology unit – our results should be good news. Getting some physical activity is better than none It’s also a good place to start: If you find 75 minutes a week of physical activity manageable, you may want to try gradually increasing it to the full recommended amount.”
This amount of moderate physical activity was also enough to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease by 17% and cancer by 7%. “We know that physical activity, such as walking or cycling, is good for you, especially if you feel your heart rate increasing. But what we found is that there are substantial benefits for heart health and in terms of risk reduction. of cancer even if you can only do 10 minutes a day,” underlines James Woodcock, MRC Epidemiology Unit. Moderate activity “doesn’t have to involve what we normally think of as exercise, such as sports or running – points out Leandro Garcia of Queen’s University Belfast – Sometimes replacing some habits is all that is needed. For example, one can try walking or cycling to work instead of using a car, or participate in active games with your children or grandchildren. Doing activities they enjoy and are easy to include in your weekly routine is a great way to become more active” .
What counts as moderate intensity physical activity? In this way, an activity that increases the heart rate and makes you breathe faster, but still allows you to talk during its performance, can be defined. A few examples: in addition to brisk walking, dancing, cycling, playing tennis, hiking.