Daily exercise of JUST 15 min can cut death & cancer risk!

The recommended level of exercise currently is 150 minutes a week. But the new study, conducted by US and Taiwanese scientists, has found that even doing less has health benefits.

The study involved 4,16,175 healthy people aged 20 years or above. They were screened and followed up between 1996 and 2008. Physical activity was categorised as light (walking), moderate (brisk walking), medium-vigorous (jogging) and high-vigorous (running).












Those who had a daily average of 15 minutes of moderate exercise had significant health benefits, when compared with individuals who were inactive.

Compared with the people in the low-volume activity group, those in the inactive group had a 17 per cent increased allcause mortality risk and an 11 per cent increased cancer mortality risk, the study, published in the medical journal The Lancet on Monday, found.

"If the minimum amount of exercise we suggest is adhered to, mortality from heart disease, diabetes, and cancer can be reduced," the scientists said.

After the minimum 15 minutes a day, every additional 15 minutes of exercise is expected to generate an additional reduction of four per cent for allcause and one per cent for allcancer mortality. One can go up to 100 minutes a day. The magnitude of all-cause mortality reduction from 15 minutes a day exercise was consistent in men and women across all age groups.