New research shows that those who exercise regularly, whether they are gardening or walking, and/or biking at least two to three hours per day, have a lower chance of dying from any cause. The study was published online in Neurology, an online medical journal of American Academy of Neurology. The most beneficial results were found for stroke survivors younger than 75 years old. People under 75 years old were able to exercise at least this amount and their death risk was reduced by 80%.Raed A.Joundi, MD and DPhil from the University of Calgary, Canada, said that "a better understanding of how physical activity affects the health of people who have survived stroke is necessary to design better exercise programs and public health campaigns to help these individuals live longer." He is also a member of American Academy of Neurology. Our results are very encouraging, as walking for three to four hours per week was associated with significant reductions in mortality. This may be possible for many people with a stroke history. We also found that people benefited even more from walking six to seven hours per day. These findings could have implications for future guidelines for stroke survivors.The study included 895 people who had suffered a stroke in the past and 97.805 people who hadn't had one.The average weekly physical activity was assessed using questions about running, walking, gardening, weight training and bicycling. People were asked questions such as "In the last three months, how often have you walked for exercise?" How long did you spend each occasion? To calculate how much exercise, researchers used data on the duration and frequency of each type.Participants were followed for an average period of four-and-a-half years by researchers. Researchers found that 25% of people who had suffered a stroke in the past died of any cause. This compares to just 6% for those who have never had one.15% of stroke patients died in follow-up who walked at least three to four hours per week. This compares to 33% who didn't walk that much. The number of stroke survivors was 4%, while those who never had them were 8%.Researchers found that people under 75 years old who had suffered a stroke in the past saw the greatest reductions in their death rates. 11% of people who exercised at the minimum level died in this group, compared with 29% who didn't. In the study, people with strokes who were less than 75 years old and who exercised at least the minimum amount were 80% less likely die. While the benefit was less for those over 75, they were still 32% more likely to die if they exercised at least the minimum.Joundi stated that "our results suggest that getting a minimal amount of exercise may reduce long-term death from any cause in stroke survivors." This should be especially stressed to stroke survivors younger than 30 years old, because they could reap the greatest health benefits by walking for just thirty minutes per day.The study has some limitations. People may not have reported the exercise they did.
