Going for a brisk walk for 11 minutes a day could help prevent an early death, Cambridge scientists have found.
If a brisk walk is not manageable then other forms of moderate intensity exercise, such as hiking, playing tennis, a bike ride, or dancing for 11 minutes a day, will also cut your chance of dying prematurely.
Health experts and the NHS recommend 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week, but scientists led by the University of Cambridge looked at 196 studies to see if half this amount had health benefits.
They found that just 75 minutes of moderate physical activity a week, or around 11 minutes a day, has “substantial benefits”.
Moderate-intensity physical activity raises your heart rate and makes you breathe faster but you would still be able to speak during the activity.
Accumulating 75 minutes per week of moderate intensity activity brought with it a 23 per cent lower risk of early death.
And 75 minutes per week of moderate activity was also enough to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease by 17 per cent and cancer by seven per cent.
The reduction in risk was greater for some specific cancers. Head and neck, myeloid leukaemia, myeloma, and gastric cardia cancers were between 14-26 per cent less likely to occur if a person did just 75 minutes of moderate activity a week, they found.
For other cancers – such as lung, liver, endometrial, colon and breast cancer – a 3-11 per cent per cent lower risk was observed.
Dr Soren Brage from Cambridge’s Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit said: “If you are someone who finds the idea of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week a bit daunting, then our findings should be good news.
“Doing some physical activity is better than doing none. This is also a good starting position – if you find that 75 minutes a week is manageable, then you could try stepping it up gradually to the full recommended amount.”
The team found that doing 150 minutes a week of exercise did reap more rewards than just 75 minutes.
The researchers calculated that if everyone in the studies had done the equivalent of at least 150 minutes per week of moderate activity, around one in six (16 per cent) of early deaths would be prevented.
One in nine (11 per cent) cases of cardiovascular disease and one in 20 cases of cancer would also be prevented.
However, even if everyone managed at least 75 minutes per week of moderate physical activity, around one in 10 (10 per cent) early deaths would be prevented, according to the research.
One in 20 cases of cardiovascular disease and nearly three per cent of cancer cases would be prevented.
‘Replacing some habits is all’
Professor James Woodcock from the MRC Epidemiology Unit said: “We know that physical activity, such as walking or cycling, is good for you, especially if you feel it raises your heart rate.
“But what we’ve found is there are substantial benefits to heart health and reducing your risk of cancer even if you can only manage 10 minutes every day.”
Dr Leandro Garcia, from Queen’s University Belfast, added: “Moderate activity doesn’t have to involve what we normally think of as exercise, such as sports or running.
“Sometimes, replacing some habits is all that is needed.
“For example, try to walk or cycle to your work or study place instead of using a car, or engage in active play with your kids or grandkids.
“Doing activities that you enjoy and that are easy to include in your weekly routine is an excellent way to become more active.”
The research is published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
