According to a new study, a brisk 20-minute walk each day could be enough to reduce an individual's risk of an early death. The study of European men and women found that twice as many deaths may be due to lack of physical activity, compared to the number of deaths due to obesity.
Cambridge University researchers analyzed data from 334,161 men and women across Europe participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Study in an effort to measure the link between physical inactivity and premature death. Between 1992 and 2000, the researchers measured the height, weight and waist circumference of participants, and used self-assessment to measure levels of physical activity. The study participants were then followed for over 12 years, during which 21,438 of the participants died.
Researchers discovered that the greatest reduction in risk of premature death occurred in the comparison between inactive and moderately inactive groups. This judgment was made by combining activity at work with recreational activity with just under a quarter (22.7 percent) being categorized as inactive, reporting no recreational activity in combination with a sedentary work life.
Researchers estimated that doing exercise equivalent to a 20 minute brisk walk each day would move an individual from the inactive to the moderately inactive group, thereby reducing their risk of an early death by between 16 to 30 percent.
Participants that were of normal weight saw the greatest impact, but even those with a higher BMI and moderate obese demonstrated a benefit as well.
Using the most recent data available, researchers estimated that 337,000 of the 9.2 million deaths in Europe could be attributed to obesity. However, researchers believe that double the amount of deaths, or 676,000 could be attributed to a simple lack of physical activity.
Obesity has increasingly become a problem in developed countries, and especially in the United States. However, Europe is seeing the impact as well with experts believing as many as 23 percent of women and 20 percent of men being considered obese across Europe. But, this new research also indicates the dangers of living a sedentary lifestyle, even if you are considered to have a healthy, normal weight.
While an apple a day might keep the doctor away, it seems a simple 20-minute brisk walk might do more--keep death at bay as well, underscoring the importance of more than just diet in living a healthy and long life.
