HEALTH TIP OF THE DAY

Fast walkers appear to livelonger than dawdlers: Study says people who walk briskly live up to 15 YEARSlonger - regardless of their weight

·        Thestudy, led by Leicester University, was based on data from 474,919 people

·        It isbelieved those who stroll quicker exercise more, implying they are fitter

·        Thisthen protects them against high blood pressure, obesity and inactivity

Fast walkers may live longer than dawdlers -regardless of their weight, a new study suggests.

Researchers at Leicester University analyzed data on474,919 people with an average age of 52 in the UK Biobank between 2006 and2016. They found women who walked briskly had a life expectancy of 86.7 to87.8 years old, and men who kept up the pace had a life expectancy of 85.2 to86.8.Slow walkers had much bleaker prospects: women had a life expectancy of72.4, and men of 64.8 years old, if they were more leisurely in theirmovements.

According to the paper, published last week in thejournal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, that ratio held true even if the fast walkerswere severely or morbidly overweight. It does not mean fast walkers willlive longer - the report only proves a correlation, not a cause-and-effect -but experts say it suggests walking speed could be a crude way for doctors tojudge their patients' general health alongside other tests.

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