We were told by doctors that we need to exercise at least 30 minutes every day to keep our bodies healthy. Now, a new study indicated only 15 minutes a day of moderate-intensity exercise might be enough!
The new study was conducted in Taiwan and was reported in Lancet. The study consisted of 416,175 persons in Taiwan and was followed for up to 8 years.
Based on their self-reported frequency of exercise, participants were categorized into inactive, low, medium, high, or very high activity.
When compared with inactive individuals, individuals in the low-volume activity group (exercised ~ 90 minutes per week) had a 14% lower risk of all-cause mortality and the life-expectancy was 3 years longer.
Furthermore, each additional 15 minutes was associated with a further reduction in all-cause mortality risk by 4% and in all-cancer mortality risk by 1%.
If you don’t have time to do 30 minutes of exercise per day, try to squeeze at least 15 minutes to do some exercise. This study suggests even 15 min a day or 90 min a week of moderate-intensity exercise might be beneficial. This is especially true for patients with cardiovascular disease or diabetes.
Source: Lancet. Published online August 16, 2011
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