A study published on Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine found that slight increases in moderate to vigorous physical activity among seniors in the United States could prevent an estimated 275,000 deaths annually.
The data showed that by adding 30 minutes of physical activity daily, adults aged 40 to 85 could reduce the national rate of "preventable" deaths each year by approximately 17%. Researchers stated that exercising for an additional 20 minutes daily within this age group could reduce preventable deaths by slightly more than 200,000, or about 13%.
According to the researchers, engaging in just ten more minutes of physical activity daily for these adults is likely to lead to a reduction of nearly 110,000 preventable deaths, or 7%. Co-author of the study, Pedro E.F. San Morris, stated, "Our study estimates the relatively large number of preventable deaths among the population through a slight increase in individual daily physical activity by just 10 minutes daily."
Recent estimates suggest that 8% of all deaths worldwide are linked to a lack of physical activity. A study published earlier this month found that less active lifestyles increase the risk of disease recurrence and death among cancer survivors, according to the UPI news website.
