11 minutes of exercise per day cuts the risk of early death by a quarter

Just 11 minutes of brisk walking a day can reduce the risk of early death by almost a quarter, ground-breaking research has revealed. Just 1,100 steps, half the recommended number, can protect against heart disease and certain cancers.

The study, involving more than 30 million participants globally, remains the most extensive research of its kind to date. It found that 75 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week could reduce mortality by 23%.

Dr Soren Brage, who led the study, commented: “If you find the idea of ​​150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week a bit daunting, our findings should be good news. Some physical activity is better. This is also a good starting point.

He added: “If you find that 75 minutes a week is manageable, you can try to gradually increase it to the full recommended amount.”

In Britain, one in five middle-aged people lead a sedentary lifestyle. The most common excuses for not exercising are lack of time and being too tired, reports Wales Online.

The University of Cambridge research team combined data from 196 peer-reviewed articles covering 94 large cohorts.

Research has shown that benefits beyond the 150 minutes of weekly moderate-intensity activity recommended by health authorities are minimal. However, achieving even half of this recommendation was associated with significant health benefits, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer by 17% and 7%, respectively.

Rates of certain cancers affecting the head and neck, blood, bone marrow and digestive system decreased by 14 to 26 percent. The incidence of lung, liver, uterine, colon and breast cancer also decreased by three to eleven percent.

Alarmingly, two-thirds of study participants reported physical activity levels of less than 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity activity, and less than one-tenth exceeded 300 minutes weekly. Professor James Woodcock, who contributed to the research, said: “We know that physical activity such as walking or cycling is good for you, especially if you feel it gets your heart rate up.”

He added that even modest daily exercise can have significant health benefits: “But we’ve found that there are significant benefits to heart health and that even if you can only manage 10 minutes a day, you can reduce your cancer risk.”

The study’s findings suggest that if all participants had engaged in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity weekly, approximately 16 percent of early deaths could have been prevented. In addition, 11 percent of cardiovascular disease and 5 percent of cancer cases can be prevented.

Furthermore, researchers estimate that even at least 75 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week can prevent about 10 percent of early deaths. This level of activity can prevent 5 percent of cardiovascular disease and nearly 3 percent of cancer cases.

Dr Leandro Garcia of Queen’s University Belfast advises: “Moderate activity does not have to include what we normally think of as exercise, such as sports or running. “Sometimes, some habits need to be replaced. For example, try walking or cycling to your place of work or study instead of using a car, or engage in active sports with your children or grandchildren.

“Doing activities that you enjoy and are easy to incorporate into your weekly routine is a great way to be more active.”

It’s common for fitness trackers, including Fitbit, to recommend walking 10,000 steps a day, a goal rooted in a pre-1964 Tokyo Olympic campaign in Japan where a pedometer called ‘Manpo-Kei’ translates to ‘step 10,000 meters’. Popular among those aiming for better health.

Details of the research have been published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.