Agencies

March 2: One in 10 early deaths could be averted if everyone engaged in a small amount of daily exercise such as a brisk 11-minute walk, according to a new study.

According to AFP, physical activity is known to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and other leading causes of death, but exactly how much is needed to have an impact has been unclear.

“So an international team of researchers pooled together the results of 196 previous studies which included more than 30 million people to create one of the largest reviews conducted on the subject,” added the news agency.

According to the BBC, the research team looked at hundreds of previous studies on the benefits of physical activity and concluded that even doing half the recommended amount could prevent one in 20 cases of cardiovascular disease and nearly one in 30 cases of cancer.

They calculated that around one in six early deaths would have been prevented if everyone in the studies had at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity physical activity, which is the level recommended by Britain's National Health Service. But even half that amount -- 75 minutes a week, or less than 11 minutes a day -- could prevent one in 10 of those deaths, according to the meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

That included a 17-percent reduction of heart disease and a seven-percent fall in cancer.

For a person who engages in little to no physical activity, 11 minutes a day led to a 23-percent lower risk of early death.

“You don't have to be a runner or play sport to feel the benefits of exercise - fitting a brisk walk into your day is good enough,” the BBC reported referring to the suggestions made by the researchers.

Soren Brage, an expert on the epidemiology of physical activity at Britain's Cambridge University and a co-author of the study, told AFP that it was "exceptionally good news".

"You should feel yourself moving, your heart will beat faster but you won't necessarily feel out of breath," BBC quoted Brage, who led the research, as saying.

Doing that amount is enough to reduce the risk of developing heart disease and stroke by 17% and cancer by 7%, the findings suggest.

Regular exercise reduces body fat and blood pressure while also improving fitness, sleep and heart health in the long run, added the BBC.

Meanwhile, AFP reported citing the World Health Organization that cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke killed 17.9 million people globally in 2019, while cancer accounted for nearly 10 million deaths the following year.