A recent scientific study conducted in the United States and Australia has found that walking or exercising continuously for 10 to 15 minutes a day is more effective in reducing the risk of heart disease and premature death than walking multiple short sessions of five minutes each, even when the total number of daily steps is the same. The benefits were particularly evident among people who lead sedentary or less active lifestyles.
According to the study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, a research team from the European University in Sydney, Harvard University, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital followed the health outcomes of approximately 33,000 adults in the United Kingdom who walked around 8,000 steps per day.
Over a follow-up period of nearly ten years, the findings showed that the risk of premature death was 4.4% among individuals who walked in sessions lasting less than five minutes, compared with just 0.8% among those who accumulated the same number of steps in continuous walks of 10 to 15 minutes. The likelihood of developing heart disease or suffering cardiac events reached 13% among those walking in short bouts, compared with 3.4% among individuals who walked for 15 minutes or more per day.
The study also noted that the link between longer walking sessions and lower risks of heart disease or early death was strongest among people with sedentary lifestyles or those who walked fewer than 5,000 steps per day.
In comments to the medical research website HealthDay, researchers involved in the study said that longer, uninterrupted walking sessions may be especially beneficial when individuals start with lower levels of physical activity.
