15-minute daily stroll reduces risk of early death by 40%

Older people who take a short walk just four times a week reduce the risk of an early death by a staggering 40 per cent.

Researchers say that the fresh air and the exercises boost the immune system, strengthen bones and reduce obesity.


In a new study, Italian researchers say that each walk only needs to be a 15-minute stroll in the open air to give them a better chance of extending their longevity by a few years.

Allowing for a host of other factors from smoking to diet, the walking pensioners had a 40 per cent better survival rate than those who did not, they found.

For 10 years, the experts monitored over 200 residents of an old folks’ home. Their average age was 80 and every aspect of their lifestyle, health and habits were noted. Also studied were their mental state, their diets, their weight, whether or not they smoked or drank coffee or were depressed.

None had cancer or other terminal illness. They declared: “Overall survival was highest for subjects walking in the open air four times a week for at least 15 minutes in comparison to subjects walking less than four times a week.”

Walking is an easier form of exercise for older people to take up but it also has the effect of holding back heart disease, stroke and other likely causes of death in the elderly. In addition, older people who walked regularly were also more likely to eat healthily and less likely to be depressed.

Previous research has found walking speed may be a predictor of longevity. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, who assessed 36,000 people over 65, found those who walked slower than 1.36 miles per hour had an increased risk of dying.

while those who walked faster than 2.25 miles per hour survived longer than would be predicted by age or gender.