15-minute daily walk ‘slashes risk of early death’ for the over-60s

WALKING for just 15 minutes a day can help the over-60s live longer, doctors say.

Those stepping out five times a week were 22 per cent less likely to suffer an early death.

But doubling the exercise to the recommended 30 minutes a day only reduced the risk by a further six per cent.

Now French researchers say the NHS and World Health Organisation should halve their exercise guidelines for the over-60s – to 75 minutes of moderate exercise a week. They said the current 150 minute guideline was ‘hardly feasible for older adults’.

Dr David Hupin – whose team reviewed nine previous decadelong studies involving 120,000 over-60s and carried out their own 12-year study on 1,000 people – said: ‘Age is not an excuse to do no exercise.

‘But less than half of older adults achieve the recommended minimum of 150 minutes moderate intensity or 75 minutes vigorous intensity exercise each week.’ The researchers, of the Univer- sity Hospital of Saint-Etienne, said the first 15 minutes of exercise is the most beneficial.

After the initial burst, the extent of the benefits decline, meaning that getting out and doing even a small amount of daily exercise is worth it.

Those who carried out double the recommended exercise levels – 300 minutes – were the least likely to die during the studies.

Their mortality rate was 35 per cent less on average than those who did no exercise at all. But the team, whose findings were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, said this high level of activity would be overly ambitious for most elderly people – and called for a more realistic 15-minutes moderate exercise a day guideline.

The wrote: ‘We believe that the target for physical activity in the current recommendations might be too high for older adults and may discourage some of them. The fact that any effort will be worthwhile may help convince those 60 per cent of participants over 60 years of age, who do not practise any regular physical activity, to become active.’

Dr Hupin added: ‘The more physical activity older adults do, the greater the health benefit.

‘We think that older adults should progressively increase physical activity in their daily lives rather than dramatically changing their habits to meet recommendations.

‘Fifteen minutes a day could be a reasonable target.’

The British Heart Foundation backed the findings. Spokesman Christopher Allen said: ‘Getting back into physical activity when you’re over 60 might seem daunting, but the benefits to your health mean it’s more than worth the investment.

‘This study supports a huge body of evidence that even a relatively small amount of physical activity can help you to live longer and live better. ’

And Professor Naveed Sattar, an expert in metabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, said: ‘The overall message that even 15 minutes of activity such as walking will be beneficial is a good one.’