We have known for many years that physical activity is able to decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke. Now we have new evidence that even small amounts of physical activity may have benefit in older individuals. People in their 80s were studied in this case.
Walking just 1 hour throughout the week has been linked to living longer in octogenarians, according to research presented at the European Society of Cardiology by doctors at Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
One hour of walking per week is associated with greater longevity in people aged 85 years and above, regardless of whether they also did any moderately to vigorously intense physical activity.
Compared with inactive individuals, those who walked at least 10 minutes a day had up to 40% lower relative risks of cardiovascular mortality.