According to a French study, even moderate exercise provides health benefits. The recommended activities are brisk walking, cycling, swimming or gymnastics.
In order to improve cardio-respiratory endurance, muscle and bone condition, and reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases and depression, adults between the ages of 18 and 64 should be physically active. According to theWorld Health Organization (WHO), they should have at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity endurance activity or at least 75 minutes of sustained-intensity endurance activity, or an equivalent combination of activity during the week. moderate and sustained intensity.
But for those who have trouble following these recommendations, the good news is that even moderate exercise already has health benefits.
15 minutes of sport per day
According to a study carried out at the University of St-Etienne-Lyon, relayed by the site santelog, 15 minutes of physical exercise per day would already be beneficial at any age. To reach this conclusion, these scientists analyzed data from a French cohort (PROOF) made up of more than 1,000 subjects aged 65 in 2001 and followed for more than 13 years.
The results they report confirm a “negative” link between the level of physical activity and the risk of death from all causes. Conclusion, in the elderly, regardless of the amount or intensity of exercise, the risk of mortality is reduced.
In more detail, the researchers indicate that the risk of death would be reduced by 57% in participants whose level of activity was in accordance with WHO recommendations.
More interestingly, this same rate would also be reduced by 51% with real activity but much more moderate. Finally, the study shows that starting even at an advanced age or resuming physical activity during retirement reduces the risk of death by two-thirds.
Brisk walking, cycling, swimming, and gym on the menu
As you can see, the authors’ recommendation to keep the elderly in good health is more “affordable” than that envisaged by the WHO, ie a minimum of 15 minutes of physical activity, 5 times a week. The activities they recommend are brisk walking, cycling, swimming or gymnastics, obviously associated with activities of daily living.
And, to drive the point home, the site santelog recalls the results of a recent study on more than 250,000 participants, aged 50 to 71 years. It concluded that less than an hour of moderate physical activity per week or 20 minutes or more of vigorous physical activity at least once a week were already associated with a 15% reduction in the risk of all-cause mortality. and 23%, respectively.
Finally, another meta-analysis estimated at 19% the reduction in the risk of mortality in people who walk a little more than 1 hour per week.
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