A closer evaluation of medical records and physical activity for over 100,000 people in the course of 30 years found that individuals who performed moderate physical activity (150-300 minutes per week) or vigorous activity (75 – 150 minutes per week) as recommended by the United States Department of Health and Human Services had a 21% and 19% (respectively) lower mortality risk from all potential causes.
This recent research was published in Circulation a peer-reviewed flagship journal of the American Heart Association. Regular physical activity has long been associated with lowered risk of premature death and cardiovascular disease.
Researchers evaluated the medical records and mortality data for more than 100,000 adults gathered from 1988-2018 in the all-male Health Professionals Follow-up Study and the all-female Nurses’ Health Study. Of these, 96% were white adults and 63% female. The average age was 66 years while the average body mass index (BMI) was 26 kg/m2.
To gather data, the participants were asked to complete a validated questionnaire every 2 years. The questionnaires were also updated two years, and among the questions asked included:
- Health information
- Frequency of exercise
- Family medical histories
- Physician-diagnosed illnesses
- Personal habits like tobacco use and alcohol consumption
Moderate activities included: lower-intensity exercise, walking, calisthenics and weightlifting; while vigorous activities included: running, jogging, cycling, swimming and aerobic exercises. It was found that adults who performed twice the recommended range of vigorous or moderate activities had the lowest mortality risk, long-term.
Other important findings are as follows:
Participants who adhered to the guidelines for moderate physical activity had a 22-25% lower risk of cardiovascular disease related mortality and 19-20% lower risk of non-cardiovascular disease related mortality. They were found to have 20-21% lower risk of death from all causes.
Those who adhered to the guidelines for vigorous physical activity had 31% lower risk of cardiovascular disease-related mortality and 15% lower risk of non-cardiovascular disease related mortality. They were found to have 19% lower risk of death from all causes.
Individuals who performed 2-4 times higher than the recommended moderate physical activity (300-600 min/week) were found to have 28-38% lower risk of cardiovascular disease related mortality and 25-27% non-cardiovascular disease related mortality. They were found to have 26-31% lower risk of death from all causes.
It’s also worth noting that no adverse cardiovascular health effects were found among those individuals who engaged in over four times the recommended minimum activity levels. This contradicts previous findings that showed high-intensity long-term endurance exercise, such as triathlons, marathons and long-distance races may lead to a higher risk of adverse cardiovascular events like coronary artery calcification, atrial fibrillation, myocardial fibrosis and sudden cardiac death.
The researchers also noted that individuals who perform less than 150 minutes of moderate activity per week or less than 75 minutes of vigorous activity may benefit from consistently performing 150-300 minutes of moderate exercise or 75-150 minutes of vigorous activity per week.
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