One in ten premature deaths could be prevented if everyone got at least half the recommended daily exercise. This is confirmed by researchers from the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom) in a study published in the “British Journal of Sports Medicine” in which it is stated that 11 minutes a day (75 minutes a week) of moderate-intensity physical activity, such as a brisk walk, would be enough to reduce the risk of diseases such as cardiovascular diseases or some types of cancer.
Cardiovascular diseases, such as heart disease and stroke, are the leading cause of death worldwide, responsible for 17.9 million deaths per year in 2019, while cancer was responsible for 9.6 million deaths in 2017.
Physical activity, especially when of moderate intensity, is known to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer, and agencies recommend that adults engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a day or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week.
To explore the amount of physical activity needed to have a beneficial impact on various chronic diseases and premature death, the researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysispooling and analyzing cohort data from all published evidence.
This approach allowed them to bring together studies that on their own did not provide enough evidence and sometimes disagreed with each other in coming to stronger conclusions.
In all, they analyzed the results of 196 peer-reviewed articles, encompassing more than 30 million participants. In other words, it is the largest analysis to date of the association between levels of physical activity and the risk of heart disease, cancer, and early death.
The analysis showed that, outside of work-related physical activity, two out of three people performed a moderate physical activity less than 150 minutes per week and less than one in ten reached 300 minutes per week.
Furthermore, the researchers found that beyond 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity activity, the additional benefits in terms of reduced risk of disease or early death were marginal. But even half this amount achieved significant benefits: Accumulating 75 minutes per week of moderate-intensity activity carried a 23% lower risk of premature death.
«Doing some physical activity is better than doing nothing. This is also a good starting position”, says Soren Brage. And he adds that if 75 minutes a week is manageable, you can try gradually building it up to the full recommended amount.
Seventy-five minutes a week of moderate activity was also enough to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 17% and cancer by 7%. For some specific cancers, the reduction was greater: cancers of the head and neck, myeloid leukemia, myeloma, and gastric cardia had 14 to 26 percent lower risk, while other types, such as lung, liver, endometrium, colon and breast, a 3-11% lower risk was observed.
Accumulating 75 minutes per week of moderate-intensity activity brought a 23% lower risk of premature death
Professor James Woodcock from the MRC Epidemiology Unit said: “We know that physical activity, like walking or bicycling is good for you, especially if you feel your heart rate increasing. But what we’ve found is that there are substantial benefits for heart health and reduced cancer risk, even if you can only drive 10 minutes every day.”
The researchers calculated that if all study participants had done the equivalent of at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity, about one in six (16%) of premature deaths would be prevented, one in nine ( 11%) cases of cardiovascular disease and one in 20 (5%) cases of cancer.
Even if everyone got at least 75 minutes a week of moderate-intensity physical activity, around one in ten would be avoided (10%) premature deaths, one in twenty (5%) cases of cardiovascular disease and almost one in thirty (3%) cases of cancer.