Mixed
Total physical activity reduces the risk of breast cancer, colon cancer, diabetes, ischemic heart disease, and ischemic stroke, with the majority of health gains occurring at lower activity levels (up to 3000-4000 MET minutes/week) and diminishing returns at higher levels.
Aim for at least 600 MET minutes of total physical activity per week, which is the current WHO minimum. This can be achieved through a mix of moderate (e.g., brisk walking) and vigorous (e.g., running) activities, as well as daily tasks like gardening or transportation. You will see the biggest drop in risk for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke by reaching 3000-4000 MET minutes/week. Going beyond this yields smaller additional benefits, so focus on consistency and incorporating activity into all parts of your day (work, home, travel) rather than just gym sessions.
The continuous risk curves for the associations between total physical activity and breast cancer, colon cancer, diabetes, ischemic heart disease, and ischemic stroke show that although the risks of these diseases decrease with increasing level of total activity, most health gains occur at relatively lower levels of activity (up to 3000-4000 MET minutes/week), with diminishing returns at higher levels of activity
Why this rating
The study is a systematic review and Bayesian dose-response meta-analysis of 174 prospective cohort studies involving over 149 million person-years, representing the highest level of observational evidence.
Source
Physical activity and risk of breast cancer, colon cancer, diabetes, ischemic heart disease, and ischemic stroke events: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013
Hmwe Hmwe Kyu et al. · BMJ · 2016
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