Brisk walking found to be just as good as running

Today's Health Tips

 

Brisk walking found to be just as good as running

 

AFP Relax – Fri, Apr 5, 2013

A new study finds that brisk walking can lower your risk of heart-related conditions even more than running.

Research from the American Heart Association says that walking briskly can lower your risk for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

Researchers analyzed data from 33,060 runners and 15,045 walkers over six years and found that moderate intensity walking and vigorous intensity running had similar results.

"The more the runners ran and the walkers walked, the better off they were in health benefits," said Paul T. Williams, the study's principal author and staff scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Life Science Division in Berkeley, California. "If the amount of energy expended was the same between the two groups, then the health benefits were comparable."

That means it's not a matter of how far you walk or run, but for how long, he explained. And he isn't talking about strolling, but walking for exercise. The advantage with running, Williams pointed out to WebMD, is that you can cover twice as much ground in the same amount of time as you would walking. But still, the new study gives you a good choice. If you find running convenient, continue to do so, but others can opt for brisk walking.

According to the study, running and walking reduced the risk for first-time hypertension (4.2% and 7.2% respectively), first-time high cholesterol (4.3% and 7% respectively), first-time diabetes (12.1% and 12.3% respectively) and coronary heart disease (4.5% and 9.3% respectively).

"People are always looking for an excuse not to exercise, but now they have a straightforward choice to run or to walk and invest in their future health," Williams said.

The research is published online in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.