HEALTHLINE – A new study says that regular walking could help you live longer.
Those who were most active moved the equivalent of 160 minutes of walking per day.
People who are not very active could gain as much as 11 years of life by walking more.
Walking increases life span by improving cardiometabolic health.
It’s important to start slow and build up to your walking goal.
Greater physical activity linked to living longer
To conduct their study, the researchers gathered data from people older than age 40, which was collected via activity trackers for the 2003-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
They also used 2019 U.S. Census data as well as 2017 death data gleaned from the National Center for Health Statistics.
The team then created a mathematical model to predict how different levels of physical activity could influence how long people lived.
They found that the 25% of individuals who were most active engaged in activity levels equivalent to walking 160 minutes every day at a pace of 3 mph.
Based on this, they estimated that if all people boosted their activity to this level, they could increase their life expectancy from 78.6 to 84 years — an increase of over 5 years.
However, being in the lowest 25% of activity was associated with a decrease in life expectancy of around 6 years.
If these less active individuals logged an additional 111 minutes of walking each day, though, they could conceivably experience even greater benefits, living nearly 11 years longer.
How walking might increase longevity
John Lowe, MD, a physician at Restore Care specializing in preventive health and lifestyle medicine, who was not involved in the study, explained that regular walking has several beneficial effects that contribute to a longer life.
It can help you decrease your resting heart rate, manage cholesterol, and reduce your chances of heart attack or stroke …
