A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine by researchers at the University of Cambridge recommends that 11 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, such as a brisk walk, for an overall of 75 minutes a week can help reduce the risk of different illness, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, and some cancers.
One in 10 early deaths might be avoided if everyone handled a minimum of half the advised level of exercise, state a team led by scientists at the University of Cambridge.
In a study released on February 27 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the researchers say that 11 minutes a day (75 minutes a week) of moderate-intensity physical activity– such as a brisk walk– would be enough to reduce the risk of illness such as heart disease, stroke and a variety of cancers.
Cardiovascular illness– such as heart problem and stroke– are the leading cause of death globally, accountable for 17.9 million deaths annually in 2019, while cancers were accountable for 9.6 million deaths in 2017. Exercise– particularly when it is moderate-intensity– is known to decrease the danger of cardiovascular disease and cancer, and the NHS suggests that grownups do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity a week.
” If you are someone who finds the idea of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week a bit challenging, then our findings must be good news. Doing some physical activity is much better than doing none.”– Soren Brage
To explore the amount of exercise required to have an useful influence on a number of persistent diseases and sudden death, researchers from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge brought out a systematic review and meta-analysis, pooling and examining associate data from all of the published evidence. This approach enabled them to unite research studies that on their own did not supply sufficient proof and in some cases disagreed with each other to offer more robust conclusions.
In overall, they looked at results reported in 196 peer-reviewed short articles, covering more than 30 million participants from 94 big study friends, to produce the biggest analysis to date of the association in between physical activity levels and danger of heart problem, cancer, and sudden death.
The scientists discovered that, beyond job-related exercise, 2 out of 3 individuals reported activity levels below 150 minutes each week of moderate-intensity activity and less than one in 10 handled more than 300 min per week.
Broadly speaking, they found that beyond 150 min per week of moderate-intensity activity, the fringe benefits in regards to decreased risk of disease or early death were marginal. Even half this quantity came with significant advantages: accumulating 75 minutes per week of moderate-intensity activity brought with it a 23% lower danger of early death.
Dr. Soren Brage from the MRC Epidemiology Unit said: “If you are somebody who finds the concept of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week a bit difficult, then our findings must be great news. Doing some exercise is better than doing none. This is also a great beginning position– if you find that 75 minutes a week is manageable, then you might attempt stepping it up slowly to the complete suggested quantity.”
Seventy-five minutes each week of moderate activity was also enough to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular illness by 17% and cancer by 7%. For some specific cancers, the reduction in danger was higher– head and neck, myeloid leukemia, myeloma, and stomach cardia cancers were between 14-26% lower risk. For other cancers, such as lung, liver, endometrial, colon, and breast cancer, a 3-11% lower danger was observed.
Professor James Woodcock from the MRC Epidemiology Unit stated: “We know that exercise, such as walking or biking, is excellent for you, especially if you feel it raises your heart rate. But what weve found is there are considerable advantages to heart health and lowering your threat of cancer even if you can only manage 10 minutes every day.”
The scientists calculated that if everybody in the studies had done the equivalent of a minimum of 150 minutes weekly of moderate-intensity activity, around one in six (16%) early deaths would be prevented. One in 9 (11%) cases of cardiovascular disease and one in 20 (5%) cases of cancer would be prevented.
Even if everyone handled at least 75 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity, around one in 10 (10%) early deaths would be avoided. One in twenty (5%) cases of heart disease and nearly one in thirty (3%) cases of cancer would be avoided.
Dr. Leandro Garcia from Queens University Belfast said: “Moderate activity does not have to include what we usually think of exercise, such as sports or running. Doing activities that you enjoy and that are simple to include in your weekly regimen is an excellent method to become more active.”
The research was moneyed by the Medical Research Council and the European Research Council.
What counts as moderate-intensity physical activity?
Moderate-intensity physical activity raises your heart rate and makes you breathe faster, however you would still be able to speak during the activity. Examples include:
” If you are somebody who finds the idea of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week a bit overwhelming, then our findings must be good news. Dr. Soren Brage from the MRC Epidemiology Unit stated: “If you are someone who finds the idea of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week a bit complicated, then our findings need to be excellent news. Doing some physical activity is better than doing none. Seventy-five minutes per week of moderate activity was likewise enough to minimize the threat of developing cardiovascular illness by 17% and cancer by 7%. Dr. Leandro Garcia from Queens University Belfast said: “Moderate activity doesnt have to involve what we normally believe of workout, such as sports or running.
Vigorous walking
Dancing
Riding a bike
Playing tennis
Treking
Reference: “Non-occupational exercise and threat of heart disease, cancer and mortality results: a dosage– reaction meta-analysis of large potential research studies” by Leandro Garcia, Matthew Pearce, Ali Abbas, Alexander Mok, Tessa Strain, Sara Ali, Alessio Crippa, Paddy C Dempsey, Rajna Golubic, Paul Kelly, Yvonne Laird, Eoin McNamara, Samuel Moore, Thiago Herick de Sa, Andrea D Smith, Katrien Wijndaele, James Woodcock and Soren Brage, 27 February 2023, British Journal of Sports Medicine.DOI: 10.1136/ bjsports-2022-10566.