By the way . . . A brisk walk could boost longevity

AS REGULAR readers will know, I am a great enthusiast for the Biobank study — and now its latest findings offer even more insight into what really supports prolonged good health.

The Biobank study, to remind you, is monitoring more than 500,000 people (one of them being my wife) in order to understand many aspects of our health, contributing not only to longevity but also to cost savings in healthcare.

New data from the study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, confirms that people who participate in high levels of exercise and have better diets had the lowest risk of death during the 11 years of the study.

OK, so that’s not the most surprising finding, but it’s another warning to those who like to trot out stories about acquaintances who exceeded their life expectancy despite avoiding all fruit and veg and walking no further than to their car on the drive, as a way of suggesting that this can lead to a healthy old age.

This new finding underlines the fact that in most cases it will not.

In fact, it should be a warning to us all to cast an eye on our diets and take some daily exercise — preferably something that raises the heart rate, even if only for 20 minutes daily. The study found that walking your 10,000 steps every day is essential in lowering your risk of dementia, heart disease. cancer and increasing your longevity.

But walking at a faster pace affords more benefits beyond yur step count so ideally do those 10,000 steps at a faster pace for maximum impact.

Nobody in any age group, medical problems notwithstanding, can fail to find a suitable activity. I’ve just taken up a fast ‘daily mile’ come rain or shine.

My advice? Just do it.