Many factors come into play when it comes to living a long and healthy life without diseases. Some of them cannot be changed, such as genetics and the race we are born with. However, many other habits, viz Diet, exerciseReducing stress, not smoking, and sleeping properly can all make a difference.
According to the available literature and research conducted so far, physical activity appears to be one of the most relevant factors in increasing longevity. For this reason, a good portion of the scientific studies that are still published today attempt to answer that question How much exercise should you exercise to live a long and healthy life?.
However, a new study by researchers at the University of Jäväskylä in Finland, which is currently being peer-reviewed, found that although exercise is important for living longer, following other healthy lifestyle habits may have a greater impact.
Longevity: Exercise itself may not be a factor
Anna Kankanpa, a project researcher at the Gerontological Research Center at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences of the University of Jyväskylä and lead author of this study, decided to study the relationship between leisure-time physical exercise and the risk of death. The reason? Difference in viewpoint.
The author explains that previous research has shown a link between exercise and a lower risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease. However, some works (such as this study published in December 2021) state that Exercise does not reduce all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease in older adults or people with chronic conditions.
This, the scientists say, may show that there are other underlying factors besides exercise alone that affect a person’s length of life. For their study, the Finnish team of researchers used data from more than 11,000 sets of adult twins from the Finnish Twin Cohort.
Physical activity of study participants was assessed using questionnaires administered in 1975, 1981, and 1990. Participants were classified into four groups: sedentary, moderately active, active, and very active. And the mortality of the participants was followed until 2020, a period of 45 years.
At the end of the study, Kankanpa and his team found that more than a third of the participants in the sedentary group, about 40%, had died at the time of the mortality follow-up in 2020, the highest percentage among the four groups. Participants in the active groups were 15% and between 23% lower risk of death for all causes compared to the sedentary group.
“I wasn’t surprised (by these results) because numerous observational studies consistently indicate this association,” Kanakpa says. But one question remains: How do other lifestyle factors affect mortality risk?
The researchers took into account other conditions, such as body mass index (BMI), health status, alcohol consumption and smoking. When these factors were applied, the mortality rate of study participants The sedentary group dropped to a maximum of 7%. That is, even if they did not exercise, if they followed healthy lifestyle habits, their risk was significantly reduced.
How much exercise should be done?
The scientists also found that participants in the sedentary and highly active groups experienced faster biological aging compared to the moderately active and active groups. Therefore, the researchers believe that the beneficial association of long-term exercise with reduced risk of death was most likely due to Not just for exercise, but for other factors as well Related to health.
Rather than regular physical activity being a cause of lower mortality risk, it may be an indicator of an overall healthy lifestyle, which Helps in prolonging life of a person. “It would be interesting to study if the same thing happens with mortality from specific causes, such as mortality from cardiovascular diseases,” Kankanpa says when asked about the next steps for this research. “Furthermore, I want to investigate the reasons behind Accelerated biological aging is observed in very active participants“
After reviewing this study, board-certified family physician Dr. David Cutler said MNT The conclusion of this study is that the health benefits of being physically active may reflect overall healthy behavior, rather than being a cause of reduced mortality.
“(It) is consistent with my own observation that although many people exercise for health benefits, they often They hope it will combat unhealthy behaviorsWhich is not the case,” explained Dr. Cutler. “This notion of ‘rewarding belief’ was supported by the study’s findings.”
Exercising after a day of excess does not counteract it
“For example, there are people who believe that if you exercise, you can overcome the adverse effects of tobacco. And, in fact, studies have found that if factors like obesity and smoking are eliminated, mortality in the sedentary group improves. .” Dr. Cutler also said that it is important to remember that performance a Healthy physical activity does not compensate for unhealthy eatingAvoiding alcohol and drug use or other harmful activities such as hypertension, high cholesterol or diabetes.
“Regular exercise can increase those benefits, but it won’t offset the harmful effects of skipping these proven beneficial measures,” he adds. In summary, this study clearly shows that able Getting some exercise is associated with reduced mortality Compared to just being sedentary and some exercise is better than none.
However, Cutler adds that studies show the benefits of exercise go beyond that. For example, “studies on how many steps people take each day have shown that after a certain amount of walking (about 7,000 or 8,000 steps a day), the level of benefit diminishes. So “walking 20,000 steps a day does not mean that you It’s better than walking 7,000 steps,” he points out.
Therefore, “it A very high degree of exercise may not be necessary There should be a message of getting health benefits,” he suggests, although the study has limitations. For example, the research was conducted in a very established population in Finland, which is not necessarily the same as its residents. Spain or the USA.
