Adherence
Higher levels of leisure-time physical activity (up to 22.5+ MET-h/wk, equivalent to 450+ minutes of brisk walking per week) are associated with greater gains in life expectancy (4.5 years) compared to no activity, with diminishing returns at the highest levels.
If you are already active, increasing your weekly brisk walking time to 450 minutes (7.5 hours) can add up to 4.5 years to your life expectancy compared to being inactive. While the biggest gains come from starting to move, continuing to increase your activity volume provides additional longevity benefits, even if the rate of gain slows at very high levels.
Higher levels of physical activity were associated with greater gains in life expectancy, with a gain of 4.5 (95% CI: 4.3–4.7) y at the highest level (22.5+ MET-h/wk, equivalent to brisk walking for 450+ min/wk).
Why this rating
Large pooled cohort analysis with robust statistical modeling (restricted cubic splines) confirming a curvilinear dose-response relationship.
Source
Leisure Time Physical Activity of Moderate to Vigorous Intensity and Mortality: A Large Pooled Cohort Analysis
Steven C. Moore et al. · PLoS Medicine · 2012
DOI 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001335
More from this paper
- Engaging in leisure-time physical activity of moderate to vigorous intensity (0.1–3.74 MET-h/wk, equivalent to up to 75 minutes of brisk walking per week) is associated with a 1.8-year gain in life expectancy after age 40 compared to no leisure-time activity.Strong
- Being physically active (7.5+ MET-h/wk) and normal weight (BMI 18.5–24.9) is associated with a 7.2-year gain in life expectancy compared to being inactive and obese (BMI 35.0+).Strong
Related findings · Adherence
- Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity) reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by 20-30% and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25-35%.Strong
- Increasing physical activity from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one in middle adulthood significantly reduces the risk of coronary events compared to remaining sedentary.Strong
- Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.Strong
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