Brisk walk for 11 minutes a day could slash risk of early death by 23%, research finds

Walking at a brisk pace for just 11 minutes a day could prevent one in 10 early deaths by lowering the risk of diseases such as heart disease, stroke and several cancers, new research suggests.

A study by Cambridge University found there are “substantial benefits” if people manage to complete at least half of the weekly level of moderate intensity activity recommended by the NHS, such as brisk walking, dancing, hiking, or riding a bike.

This equates to 75 minutes of moderate intensity activity per week, or around 11 minutes per day, of the full NHS recommended weekly amount of 150 minutes.

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 research from the MRC, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, looked at results reported in 196 peer-reviewed articles, covering more than 30 million participants from 94 large study cohorts. Researchers then examined the link between physical activity levels and risk of heart disease, cancer and early death.

They observed that, outside of work-related physical activity, two out of three people reported activity levels below 150 minutes per week of moderate activity, while fewer than one in 10 managed more than 300 minutes per week.

Broadly speaking, researchers noted that additional benefits in terms of reduced risk of disease or early death were marginal beyond 150 minutes per week of moderate activity, but even half of this amount came with significant benefits.

Accumulating 75 minutes per week of moderate intensity activity resulted in a 23% lower risk of early death, and was also enough to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease by 17% and cancer by 7%.

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.”

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%) of early deaths would be prevented.

This number increased to one in 10 (10% if everyone managed at least 75 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity. One in 20 (5%) cases of cardiovascular disease and nearly one in 30 (3%) cases of cancer would also be prevented, the analysis suggested.

Dr Leandro Garcia from Queen’s University Belfast said: “Moderate activity doesn’t have to involve what we normally think of 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.”