Arushi Bidhuri
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Written By: Arushi Bidhuri | Updated : August 12, 2021 3:31 PM IST
There is no doubt that diet and exercise are the best ways to lose weight, suggesting that they can contribute to improving overall health. But that can be quite frustrating to do when walking doesn't help you lose weight. However, a new study suggests that walking for only 30 minutes every day can lower the risk of death in patients who have survived a stroke. Regardless of whether you lose weight or not, walk every day for your heart and overall health.
While everyone knows how important it is to exercise, it can be extremely beneficial for people who have had a stroke. Here is how a minimum amount of physical activity may reduce long-term mortality in people who have survived a stroke.
According to a study published in the journal 'Neurology' found that people who walk at least 3-4 hours per week, or cycle for at least 3 hours a week are a 54 per cent lower risk of death after having a stroke. The results suggest that people under the age of 75 who exercised at least the same amount had an 80 per cent reduced risk. They found that people who walked for 6-7 hours per week achieved even greater benefit.
For the study, researchers looked at 895 people with an average age of 72 who had a prior stroke and 97,805 people with an average age of 63 who had never had a stroke. They evaluated the average weekly physical activity and its frequency and duration for about four and a half years. As per the study results, as compared to 6% of persons who had never had a stroke, 25% of those who had previously had a stroke died from any cause. In the stroke group, 15% of patients who exercised at least the equivalent of three to four hours of walking each week died during follow-up, compared to 33% of those who did not. In a group of adults who had never had a stroke, 4% of those who exercised that much died, vs 8% of those who did not.
The patients who had a prior stroke but were under 75 years old had the greatest drop in death rate, according to the researchers. In that group, 11% of individuals who exercised at least the bare minimum died, compared to 29% of those who did not. People with a history of stroke who were under 75 years old and engaged in at least moderate physical exercise were roughly 80% less likely than those who did not die during the study's follow-up period. People over 75 who did the bare minimum of exercise saw a smaller advantage but were still 32 per cent less likely to die.
Since this is an observational study, there are certain limitations. However, researchers of the study believe that studying the role of physical activity in people who have survived a stroke can help design better therapies to reduce death risk among these individuals.
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