A new study has found that regular walking may help the elderly live longer, even if they don't walk enough times to meet the requirements of the exercise guide. According to American sports guidelines, adults aged 65,438+08 to 64 should have at least 65,438+050 minutes (2.5 hours) of moderate physical activity every week. But researchers say that only about half of American adults and 42% of adults aged 65 to 74 meet this recommendation. In this new study, the researchers analyzed the information of nearly140,000 American adults aged 60, 70 and 80, and followed them for 13 years. Participants were asked how much time they spent exercising every week and what activities they engaged in. The results showed that those who reported walking regularly but did not meet the exercise guidelines were still less likely to die during the study period than those who did not engage in any physical activity. Specifically, the researchers found that during the study period, people who did not take any exercise were 26% more likely to die than those who walked for less than 2 hours a week. [Life extension:/kloc-7 lifestyles over 0/00 years old]

Even after the researchers considered smoking, obesity, chronic diseases (including diabetes) and sitting time, this finding still held.

This finding shows that doctors "should encourage patients to walk. The researchers wrote in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine published today (10, 19): "Even if it is lower than the recommended amount, especially with the increase of age, the impact on health and longevity will become smaller and smaller. They wrote: "Walking is called' perfect exercise' because it is a simple exercise, free and convenient, without any special equipment or training, and can be carried out at any age."

Researchers say that many studies have found that there is a link between physical activity and life extension, but relatively few studies specialize in walking (separate from other types of sports) like this new study.

The study also found that walking for a period of time to meet or exceed the guidelines of physical activity will bring more benefits. During the study period, compared with people who walked for less than 2 hours a week, people who walked for 2.5 to 5 hours a week were less likely to die of any cause by 20%, respiratory diseases by 30% and cancer by 9%.

"This study shows that walking is related to prolonging life span and may significantly improve public health," the researchers concluded.

This is an original article about life science.