Walking is undeniably one of the most straightforward exercises people can do. A new study from researchers in South Korea is urging octogenarians, particularly those 85 years old and above, to put their best foot forward for at least 10 minutes every day to live longer.
Researchers said that walking for 100 minutes per week significantly connects to longevity in octogenarians. Health experts generally advise adults to engage in at least 150 minutes a week of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise. As the time spent sitting down tends to increase as people age, walking could be a great way to exercise for older people.
Fewer Seniors Meet Recommended Physical Activity Per Week
Study author Dr. Moo-Nyun Jin of Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital in Seoul, South Korea, said in a statement via EurekAlert! that walking one hour weekly benefits older people. However, fewer seniors meet recommended physical activity every week.
The team examined the link between walking and mortality among adults aged 85 and above. They used data from the Korean National Health Insurance Screening Program (NHIS) Senior database, which included information about 7,047 adults aged 85 or older.
These people underwent physical activity at various time lengths and intensity of exercise each week, such as walking at a slow pace, moderate intensity, and high-intensity physical activity.
About 68.3% of the participants were female, and their average age was 87. They were classified into five categories based on the time they spent walking at a slow pace.
Around 57.5% or 4,051 participants did not do slow walking, while 597 or 8.5% walked for less than an hour, then 12% or 849 walked for one to two hours, 610 or 8.7% did slow walking for two to three hours, and 940 or 13.3% walked more than three hours per week.
Throughout the study, only 14.7% did moderate-intensity exercise, and only 10.9% did high-intensity or vigorous physical activity. More so, about 33% of those who walked at a slow pace every week also did moderate to vigorous exercise.
Walking Lowers Risk of Early Death
The researchers also analyzed the link between walking, death from cardiovascular diseases, and death from other any cause. According to an article in Study Finds, those who walked at least once per week had a lower risk of dying from all causes and cardiovascular diseases at 40% and 39%, respectively, compared to inactive octogenarians.
Dr. Jin explained that walking was associated with a lower risk of early death among older adults regardless of whether the physical activity was moderate or vigorous.
He pointed out that knowing the minimum amount of exercise that can benefit older people is important since specific recommended activity levels can be challenging to accomplish. The findings suggest that even walking for an hour every week significantly benefits an aging person compared to those who stay inactive.
Dr. Jin concludes that the take-home message of their study is to keep walking throughout life. They presented the findings at the ESC Congress 2022.
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