The Americans of more than 40 years could live 5.3 more years If they were as active as him 25% of the most active populationaccording to a study that has just been published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
To calculate the life expectancy linked to the physical activity levelsthe researchers used a multipart analysis of existing data. They created a demographic tool using data from 2017 mortality of the National Center for Health Statistics and they traced the life expectancy linked to the level of activity.
After that, the researchers used estimates of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 2003 a 2006a sample of non-institutionalized American civiliansto plot the levels of physical activity of the population.
The researchers converted the differences at all levels of physical activity measured in equivalent hours of walking. This allowed them to convert all types of activity to a common metric and determine how many hours of life could be gained by averaging a extra hour of walking a 3 mph. According to the scientists, the most active group performed the equivalent of 160 minutes a day from march to 5 kilometers per hourwhile the least active did the equivalent of 49 minutes a day.
According to the results, if all Americans 40 and older were as active as the least active group, the life expectancy would be 73 yearsalmost six years younger that the average of 2017. Move up to the second and third quartiles activity would increase the life expectancy in more than half a year y 3.5 yearsrespectively.
Moving from the least active to the most active group could increase the life expectancy in almost 11 years. Los less active Americans were the ones who could earn the most: According to the study, with a more hour of walkingindividuals in the lowest quartile of activity could add six o’clock to their lives.
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