According to a new meta-analysis of 85 studies that saw 7 million people around the world, exercise to regularly increase heart and breathing rates can reduce the risk of early death across all causes by up to 40%.
Co-author Gregor Mirke, a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Public Health at Queensland University in Brisbane, Australia, said:
According to Ruyi Yu, a doctoral student in Public Health at the University of Brisbane, age seemed unimportant. In fact, the positive effects of increased physical activity often become stronger in older people and are likely to face multiple health issues, providing a “an additional 10% to 15% reduction in risk.”
“This emphasizes that it’s never too late to start physically active, and starting at any point in adulthood can lead to a longer and healthier life,” Mirke said.
The findings aren’t surprising, as physical activity is “magic,” says Andrew Freeman, director of cardiovascular prevention and wellness for National Jewish Health in Denver.
“Exercise really reduces risk in a way that you can’t get the medicine, which is amazing,” Freeman said. “I tell patients that physical activity is truly a young elixir.”
The study, published Thursday in the UK Journal of Sports Medicine, is “the most comprehensive analysis ever performed” of physical activity since early adulthood, Mirke said.
“What makes this study different is that we reviewed studies that tracked physical activity at multiple points over time,” he said. “This allowed us to look at long-term patterns, such as staying active, becoming active later, or being stopped. How do these patterns affect the risk of death?”
Although exercise guidelines may vary from country to country, the meta-analysis applied World Health Organization recommendations. Medium-intensive aerobic physical activity for at least 150-300 minutes, or active-intensive aerobic exercise (or combination) for 75-150 minutes throughout the week. Active and intense exercises like jogging and race walking are really boosting your heart rate. Mayo Clinic.
Regular aerobic exercise was most beneficial for the world’s number one killer, the world’s number one killer. Compared to those who had little or no physical activity, the people who exercised the most were about 40% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease, the study found. The risk of cancer has been reduced by 25%.
The greatest benefit of life expectancy came when people exercised moderately for at least 300 minutes a week. “Anything more doesn’t seem to make much of a benefit to life expectancy.”
But even couch potatoes who started exercising consistently saw profits. This reduced the risk of early death by 22%, the study found.
People who engaged in more leisure physical activity also saw a 27% reduction in risk, the study found.
Unfortunately, those who stopped exercising seemed to lose momentum in their longevity. They were at risk of early death as were people who were always inactive.
“The results are interesting because this raises important questions. If people stop working, will the benefits of past physical activity be the last?” Yu said. “This requires more research.”
Meeting official exercise guidelines is ideal, but that’s not the path to better health, Mirke said.
“Even people who did not meet the recommended level but maintained some level of activity had a lower risk of early death compared to inactive people,” he said. “We encourage people to move in any way. Most importantly, find a way to keep you moving and enjoying being active.”
If you’re new to exercise, it’s important to start slowly — check with your doctor first, but the goal is to have an active walk for at least 30 minutes a day, Freeman said.
“If you go with a friend, spouse or partner, then anyone, they can talk to you and you can’t speak because you’re working so hard,” Freeman said. “It’s good for your relationship and your body.”
You can also add resistance to take your training to the next level, he said.
“When I tell people to go walking, cycling, swimming, jogging, I usually recommend that they do resistance at the same time,” Freeman said.
“Take some weights together, wear a weighted backpack, resist the bike or bike climbing, place your hands on your hands when swimming, and be resistant to water.
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