FASTER walkers are more likely to live longer, researchers say.
And the theory holds true regardless of body weight or obesity status.
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Brisk walkers hit speeds of 3mph — about 100 steps a minute and, in general, they will overtake most other walkers. Slow walkers trudge along at between 1mph and 2mph, or just 50 steps a minute.
The researchers, who studied 474,919 people, found that those with a fast walking pace had a longer life expectancy across all weight categories — from underweight to morbidly obese.
Underweight individuals with a slow walking pace had the lowest life expectancy — an average of 64.8 years for men, 72.4 for women.
Lead author Prof Tom Yates, of the University of Leicester, said: “The findings suggest that perhaps physical fitness is a better indicator of life expectancy than body mass index.
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“Encouraging the population to engage in brisk walking may add years to their lives.”
Last year, Prof Yates and his team showed that middle-aged people who walked slowly were at higher risk of heart- related disease.
That study, which also used data from the UK Biobank, showed that slow walkers were twice as likely to have a heart-related death as fast walkers, even accounting for smoking and BMI.
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