WALKING slowly could mean you’re more at risk of an early death, a study suggests.
People were more likely to die from heart attack, cancer or other causes in 10 years if they walked at a slower pace, British researchers found.
GettyWalking slowly could mean you’re more at risk of an early death, a study suggests[/caption]
Getting a wiggle on when you’re out and about could help increase how long you live, they said.
Dr Jonathan Goldney, of the University of Leicester, said: “We encourage walkers to pick up their pace where possible, as this may just improve their life expectancy.
“There are also numerous other benefits to being physically active, as shown by previous research.
“Doctors should also consider asking their patients how quickly they walk, as it turns out that this can tell them a lot about their risk of death, which may guide the use of strategies to prevent early death and disease.”
Previous research has shown the more you walk, the lower your risk of death — even if you walk fewer than 5,000 steps a day.
The latest study, published in the Elsevier journal Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, looked at
Researchers analysed data from 391,652 Brits aged 38 to 73.
They were asked how quickly they walk — from slow to brisk — and tracked for an average of 12 years to see how it impacted their risk of dying.
Some 22,413 people died over the course of the study period.
Brisk walkers were significantly less likely to die from any causes, with the biggest improvements seen in heart disease and “other” cause risks.
Dr Goldney said: “As far as we’re aware, the comparison between the risk of death from cancer, CVD and other causes by different levels of walking pace has never been compared before.
“While we observed reductions in all three causes of death in brisk or average walkers, the largest reduction was detected in older male participants who passed from other causes of death.”