It seems surprisingly simple but putting one foot in front of the other has now officially been recognised as a way to live longer.
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Research by The George Institute for Global Health has found exercise can save lives, with an increase in the number of steps walked each day having a direct correlation with long-term mortality.
Study author Terry Dwyer said this was the first time research had been able to make the link between exercise, measured directly through pedometers, and reduced mortality over time in people who appeared healthy at the outset.
Professor Dwyer said the study shows more clearly than ever that the total amount of activity also affects life expectancy.
“Previous research measured physical activity by questionnaire only but these results are more robust and give us greater confidence that we can prevent death from major diseases by being more active,” he said.
The study, conducted with the Menzies Research Institute in Tasmania, monitored 3000 Australians aged over 15.
Participants were given pedometers and data was collected at the beginning and again about five years later during the trial to measure the number of steps they took each day.
Participants were an average age of 58.8 years old at commencement and the major end point was death due to any cause.
The study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, found:
- A sedentary person who increased his or her steps from 1000 to 10,000 per day had a 46 per cent lower mortality risk.
- A sedentary person who increased his or her steps to 3000 per day, five days a week had a 12 per cent reduction in death.
Professor Dwyer said the association between daily steps and mortality was largely independent of factors such as body mass index and smoking.
“Exercise should now be seen as a potential means of increasing longevity,” he said.
“... Pedometers and activity devices are growing in popularity so the ability to measure and realise the benefits of exercise are at everyone’s fingertips and we should all take advantage.”
- www.georgeinstitute.org.au
