By Bunmi Sofola

IF you want to stay young, don’t wait for a wonder drug—just go for a walk instead. A half-hour walk every day is as good as a ‘super-pill’ capable of combating age-related illness from diabetes to dementia, Britain’s biggest science conference heard. It also fights obesity, arthritis and cancer and helps lift depression. Dr. James Brown, an expert in ageing, said that while 30 minutes’ brisk walking a day may not seem like much, studies from around the world show it benefits all-round health.

Dr. Brown, a lecturer in health sciences at Birmingham’s Aston University, said: ‘A11 of these changes are not seen in people that run marathons, they are not seen in people who lift weights in the gym or spend four hours running on the tread-mill, these are seen in people who walk, and who walk for half an hour a day.

You can get all these health benefits, you can get a reduction in all of these diseases that are associated with ageing, by just keeping active.’ Dr. Brown told the British Science Festival that maintaining muscle as we age is key to staying mobile and living an independent life. Not only is exercise the best way of keeping muscles from withering, it has many other benefits.