15 Minutes of Exercise Per Day Lowers the Risk of Death and Raises Life Expectancy

15 Minutes of Exercise Per Day Lowers the Risk of Death and Raises Life Expectancy: n the heels of a recent meta-analysis of thirty three studies looking at the correlation between coronary heart disease and physical activity conducted by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, a newly published study put out by the National Health Research Institutes in Taiwan has come to the same conclusion that if inactive people increase their physical activity by just 15 minutes per day, they can reduce their risk of death by lowering their overall risk of heart disease by 14 percent and increase their life expectancy by three years. Also just as reported by the Harvard analysis, they found that the risk of developing coronary heart disease, along with a list of other life threatening ailments, reduces progressively the more physical activity a person does. esearch conducted in Taiwan included more than 400,000 people participating in a medical screening program between 1996 and 2008, with an average follow-up every eight years. Participants were placed into one of five categories of exercise levels ranging from inactive to high-level. By calculating hazard ratios for mortality risks for every group compared with the inactive group they were able to calculate the life expectancy for every group. They concluded, empirically, that just 15 minutes a day, or 92 minutes per week, reduced the risk of death by 14% as well as the risk of cancer death by 10% and added three years on average to a person’s life. Every additional 15 minutes of daily exercise a day on top of the minimum 15 minute amount further reduced the risk of death by 4 percent and cancer death by 1 percent. The benefits applied to all age groups and both sexes and even to those with existing heart disease risks. Also, inactive individuals had a 17 percent increased risk of death compared to those in the low-level of activity category. 

As noted by the authors in the study quote, “If the minimum amount of exercise we suggest is adhered to, mortality from heart disease, diabetes, and cancer could be reduced. This low volume of physical activity could play a central part in the global war against non-communicable diseases, reducing medical costs and health disparities."