Short periods of daily aerobic activity have been shown to lead to overall better health and less disease.
Scientists detailed the findings of their meta-analysis of 94 cohort studies involving more than 30 million participants looking for associations between the duration of aerobic activities and mortality as well as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. They published their findings in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Scientists sought to understand the amount of time needed to experience benefits from exercise.
The participants in the studies that were analyzed were observed for an average of 10 years, according to CNN.
Researchers found that people who engaged in exercise for at least 22 minutes per day, or 150 minutes a week, had a 29% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, a 15% lower risk of dying from cancer, and a 31% lower risk of dying from any cause, than groups that did not exercise.
In terms of developing these adverse health conditions, the group that regularly exercised had a 27% lower risk of developing cardiovascular afflictions and a 12% lower risk for cancer.
Researchers also noted benefits experienced by those who were active for half of this time.
“We know that physical activity, such as walking or cycling, is good for you, especially if you feel it raises your heart rate,” said James Woodcock, a contributor to the study, in a press release. “But what we’ve found is there are substantial benefits to heart health and reducing your risk of cancer even if you can only manage 10 minutes every day,” he continued.
“Our findings suggest an appreciably lower risk of mortality, cardiovascular diseases, and cancers from the equivalent of 75 min/week or less of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity (ie, half the recommended minimum levels),” said scientists in the meta-analysis.
This rate of 75 minutes per week, or about 11 minutes per day, was associated with a decreased risk of death by 23%, decreased risk of developing cardiovascular afflictions by 17%, and cancer by 7%.
“One in 10 premature deaths could have been prevented if everyone achieved even half the recommended level of physical activity,” said scientists in the meta-analysis.
Dr. Leandro Garcia, a coauthor of the meta-analysis, said that engaging in physical exercise may not need to manifest in the way that some may think.
“For example, try to walk or cycle to your work or study place instead of using a car, or engage in active play with your kids or grandkids,” said Garcia in a press release. “Doing activities that you enjoy and that are easy to include in your weekly routine is an excellent way to become more active,” he continued.
Previous studies have observed that cardiovascular as well as aerobic exercise yielded other benefits, such as curbing obesity, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. Obesity continues to be a problem across the state and nation as rates continue to rise.
