A lifetime of this habit can slow down biological aging for many years.
Walking pace could directly affect the biological aging process, research finds.
An analysis of data from 405,981 UK adults found a connection between walking pace and a biological age marker called leucocyte telomere length (LTL).
Everyday brisk walking for 10 minutes may seem tiny, but the effect is not, as it has been shown to increase longevity.
Moreover, a lifetime of this habit can slow down biological aging for many years.
Previous research suggests that fast walkers have greater physical fitness, are less likely to develop cardiovascular disease, and have up to 20 years higher life expectancy than slow walkers.
To see whether these claims are true, the current study examined the difference in LTL between slow and fast walkers and found that brisk walking could lead to a biological age 16 years younger.
Telomeres are the caps on the ends of chromosomes (DNA molecules) protecting them from damage.
Telomeres become shorter with each cell division.
When telomeres reach the point that they can’t get any shorter, the cell cannot divide and it dies.
Telomere length is often measured in white blood cells (leucocytes).
Measuring telomere length is an effective method to study its shortening in relation to age-related diseases, cancer and heart disease.
Undoubtedly walking has social, mental, and physical health benefits, but the effect of walking pace on human life expectancy with regards to LTL has not been studied thoroughly before.
Dr Paddy Dempsey, the study’s first author, said:
“Previous research on associations between walking pace, physical activity and telomere length has been limited by inconsistent findings and a lack of high-quality data.
This research uses genetic data to provide stronger evidence for a causal link between faster walking pace and longer telomere length.
Data from wrist-worn wearable activity tracking devices used to measure habitual physical activity also supported a stronger role of habitual activity intensity (e.g. faster walking) in relation to telomere length.
This suggests measures such as a habitually slower walking speed are a simple way of identifying people at greater risk of chronic disease or unhealthy ageing, and that activity intensity may play an important role in optimising interventions.
For example, in addition to increasing overall walking, those who are able could aim to increase the number of steps completed in a given time (e.g. by walking faster to the bus stop).”
The study was published in the journal Communications Biology (Dempsey et al., 2022).
