Brisk walking reduces your biological life by 16 years

Healthy walking improves human health.

dpa

Scientists say brisk walking reduces a person's biological age, making them feel 16 years younger by the time they reach middle age.

Scientists from the University of Leicester studied data from 400,000 Britons, with an average age of 57, enrolled in the UK Biobank - a database of patients monitored for 10 years.

The team found a clear link between walking quickly and a lower biological age, which is determined by how energetic the body is. They said the faster participants, who walked more than 4 miles per hour, had longer telomeres, regardless of how much exercise they did.

Telomeres are parts at the end of each chromosome that help fight aging, regenerate cells and protect them from damage.

Scientists believe that the length of telomeres is a sign of biological longevity as it protects against debilitation and age-related diseases, such as coronary artery disease and cancer.

Based on the findings, the researchers estimated that a brisk walking strategy could reduce an individual's biological life by up to 16 years by middle age.

Professor Tom Yates, a physical activity expert and senior author of the study, said: "Our results confirm that adopting a brisk walking pace actually leads to better health and even a significant reduction in biological life."

He added that those who have habitually slower walking speeds are at greater risk of chronic disease and premature aging.

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