Just 11 minutes of moderate physical activity per day may lower one's risk of premature death, according to an analysis published Tuesday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
The researchers analyzed data from nearly 200 studies involving a total of more than 30 million participants from around the world, who self-reported their activity levels for at least three years. The team then looked at the association between physical activity and 22 distinct health outcomes, including 14 types of cancer, making it one of the largest analyses of its kind.
The results indicated that people who were moderately active for 75 minutes per week — meaning they engaged in activities like hiking, walking briskly, cycling to work or playing actively with their children — had lower risks of overall mortality, heart disease, stroke and various cancers relative to people who were not active.
The researchers estimated that 1 in 10 premature deaths, defined by the World Health Organization as deaths between ages 30 and 70, tallied in their analysis could have been prevented if everyone had engaged in moderate physical activity for 75 minutes per week.
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