A new research has again stressed on the need of engaging into daily physical activities to keep life-threatening diseases at bay. The research has claimed that elderly men who exercise for at least 30 minutes a day are likely to live for longer than those who do not indulge themselves in physical activities.

The study also showed that men in this age group sought benefits of doing even small amount of exercise comparable to those of giving up smoking.

For the study, the researchers recruited thousands of men born between 1923 and 1932. They all were given health checkups and provided information about the lifestyle they followed and their involvement in physical activity.

“A mortality reduction of 40% was associated with a moderate use of time (30 minutes, six days a week) irrespective of whether the activity was light or vigorous”, said the researchers.

Those who exercised vigorously had a lifespan five years longer than those who were sedentary. Findings of the study have been published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The study was carried out by the Norwegian School of Sports Sciences in Oslo. The study results have showed the importance of encouraging elderly people to engage themselves in daily physical activities. It is also important to give counseling to men in that age group to quit smoking.