New research finds that spending a long time walking each day, even at a slow pace, can lower your
risk of stroke.
Doing exercise is obviously a good way to reduce your risk of any cardiovascular event, but new research published in the journal Stroke has found that for older men, at least, it might not be necessary to walk at high speed in order to lower your risk of stroke. Spending a long time walking on a daily basis appears to have a stronger effect than the speed of your walking.
Doing exercise is obviously a good way to reduce your risk of any cardiovascular event, but new research published in the journal Stroke has found that for older men, at least, it might not be necessary to walk at high speed in order to lower your risk of stroke. Spending a long time walking on a daily basis appears to have a stronger effect than the speed of your walking.
Researchers from University College London, who were part-funded by the British Heart Foundation, analysed data spanning ten years from more than 3,000 healthy men, all of whom were 60 or older.
The data showed how often the men walked, for how long and at what speed, as well as incidence of stroke – 195 men suffered a stroke in the ten-year period.
The men were then grouped according to how much and how often they walked – and the results showed that men who walked between one and two hours per day had a 33% lower risk of stroke than men who walked less than three hours a week. For men who walked more than 22 hours per week the risk of stroke fell by two thirds.
Those who walked faster did show further reduction in risk but, say the researchers, this is a result of their walking farther than men who walked slower. They suggest that what’s important is the time spent exercising rather than the intensity. Interestingly the researchers didn’t find a strong association between total leisure time physical activity and reduced stroke risk.
The data showed how often the men walked, for how long and at what speed, as well as incidence of stroke – 195 men suffered a stroke in the ten-year period.
The men were then grouped according to how much and how often they walked – and the results showed that men who walked between one and two hours per day had a 33% lower risk of stroke than men who walked less than three hours a week. For men who walked more than 22 hours per week the risk of stroke fell by two thirds.
Those who walked faster did show further reduction in risk but, say the researchers, this is a result of their walking farther than men who walked slower. They suggest that what’s important is the time spent exercising rather than the intensity. Interestingly the researchers didn’t find a strong association between total leisure time physical activity and reduced stroke risk.
For more details see this article in the Daily Mail walk for longer not faster
No comments:
Post a Comment