STUDY: Physical Activity at Any Intensity Linked to Lower Risk of Early Death
A new study has determined that physical activity, at any intensity, is better than no activity at all and can lead to a longer life.
Researchers from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) studied 36,383 adults aged at least 40 years (average age 62) for 5.8 years, their activity was split into quarters from least active to most active.
Over 2,000 or 5.9 percent of participants died, ruling out influential factors, the researchers found those who did any amount of physical activity, no matter the intensity, had a lower risk of death.
In contrast, if you are sitting more than 9.5 hours a day your risk of death increases, “These results are fantastic. It has previously been widely assumed that more is better in terms of physical activity for health. However, this study suggests health may be optimized with just 24 minutes per day of brisk walking or other forms of moderate-intensity physical activity,” said Professor Tom Yates.
