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21.02.2025

Walking 30 minutes 5 times a week makes you 7 years younger

If you walk for two and a half hours or more every week, you are about 7 years younger on a molecular level than if you don't walk at all. This is evident from an American study that was published in 2020 in the Journal of Sports Sciences.

Study
The author of the study this post is about is Larry Tucker, a researcher at Brigham Young University in the United States. We have reported on his publications before.

In these studies, Tucker determined the effect of lifestyle factors such as physical activity in general and running and strength training in particular - and the consumption of nuts and coffee.

In those studies, Tucker determined the longevity effect of lifestyle factors on telomeres. These are pieces of molecular code at the ends of the chromosomes in the DNA that become shorter as an organism ages. The rate of shortening is faster the faster an organism ages.

In the studies mentioned above, Tucker was able to demonstrate that the lifestyle factors he studied slow the pace of aging.

The research this post is about concerns walking. Tucker used data from 7,827 adult Americans who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey [NHANES] in 2000-2002.

The study participants had donated blood cells in which a laboratory had determined the length of the telomeres. The participants also completed questionnaires, which allowed Tucker to estimate how many minutes the study participants walked each week.

Results
More minutes of walking meant longer telomeres.

The connection remained intact after Tucker had used statistics to remove the effect of all possible other lifestyle factors. These other factors also included other forms of exercise. This suggests that even if you train with weights for a few hours every week, walking slows down the wear and tear of your telomeres.

Conclusion
"Findings of the present study underscore the threat of accelerated ageing among adults who do not perform regular, moderate intensity activity each week", summarizes Tucker.

"It appears that the simple, inexpensive activity of walking is associated with meaningful differences in the biological ageing of adults."

Source:
Nutrients. 2019 Dec 23;12(1):50.

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