LONDON: Thirty minutes of physical activity six days a week is linked to a 40 per cent lower risk of death from any cause among elderly, new research claims.
Boosting physical activity levels in this age group seems to be as good for health as giving up smoking, researchers said.
The study, based on the analysis of 15,000 men, indicated that less than an hour a week of light physical activity was not associated with any meaningful reduction in risk of death from any cause.
Less than an hour of vigorous physical activity, on the other hand, was linked to a reduction in risk of between 23 per cent and 37 per cent for cardiovascular disease and death from any cause.
The more time spent doing vigorous exercise the lower the risk seemed to be, falling by between 36 per cent and 49 per cent, according to the study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
And men who regularly engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity during their leisure time lived five years longer, on average, than those who were classified as sedentary.
Factoring in that the risk of death from heart disease/stroke rises with age, made only a slight difference to the results.
“Overall, these showed that 30 minutes of physical activity – of light or vigorous intensity – 6 days a week was associated with a 40 per cent lower risk of death from any cause,” researchers said.
The impact would seem to be as good for health as quitting smoking among this age group, they said. (AGENCIES)
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