A new study reveals walking briskly can reduce the risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes as much as running.

The study, out the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, analysed health indicators in 33,060 runners and 15,045 walkers over a six-year period.

Study participants were aged 18 to 80 but clustered in their 40s and 50s. Men made up 21 per cent of walkers and 51.4 per cent of runners.

Unlike previous studies the researchers assessed walking and running expenditure by distance rather than time.

Paul T. Williams, the study's principal author, said: "Walking and running provide an ideal test of the health benefits of moderate-intensity walking and vigorous-intensity running because they involve the same muscle groups and the same activities performed at different intensities."

"People are always looking for an excuse not to exercise, but now they have a straight forward choice to run or walk and invest in their future health," he said.

Williams recently published results from a similar analysis that determined running was more effective at reducing body mass index (BMI) than walking.