A new study shows walking after suffering a stroke can significantly boost health. The study, conducted by the American Academy of Neurology, found that walking or doing light exercises for just three to four hours a week can cut reduce the risk of stroke survivors by 54 percent. For those under the age of 75, the risk drops to 80 percent.
Some of the light exercises can include bike riding, gardening, or other exercises of your preference.
“Our results are exciting, because just three to four hours a week of walking was associated with big reductions in mortality, and that may be attainable for many community members with prior stroke. In addition, we found people achieved even greater benefit with walking six to seven hours per week. These results might have implications for guidelines for stroke survivors in the future,” said study author Raed A. Joundi, MD, from the University of Calgary in a media release.
The research examined over 97,000 people who never had a stroke and 895 stroke survivors around the age of 72. The evaluations were based on each person’s level of physical activity, their physical exercising habits, and how active each person was on a weekly basis. It also followed the groups for about four and a half years, taking into account certain factors that can influence a person’s mortality risk.
25 percent of stroke survivors died from any cause; six percent of healthy participants also died. However, only 15 percent of survivors who walked three to four hours a week died during the study, while 33 percent of survivors who didn’t reach the minimum amount of physical activity died from all causes.
The benefits in younger stroke survivors were much higher. Those under 75, and exercised, decreased their risk of death by 80 percent while those 75 and up who also exercised cut their risk of death by 32 percent.
“We should particularly emphasize this to stroke survivors who are younger in age, as they may gain greatest health benefits from walking just thirty minutes a day,” says Joundi.
You can read more on this report in Neurology.
