75 minutes of light exercise a week ‘makes big difference’

Just half the amount of recommended exercise can cut the risk of serious illness, academics have found.

Doing 75 minutes of light exercise — such as a brisk walk — a week can make a “big difference” to people’s health.

Professor Conrad Earnest and colleagues at the University of Bath’s department for health studied patients with metabolic syndrome — a combination of medical disorders that together increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes.