Mixed
Higher levels of physical activity are associated with a lower risk of incident obesity, coronary heart disease, and type 2 diabetes in adults.
Engage in regular physical activity to significantly lower your risk of developing obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. You do not need to be an elite athlete; higher levels of activity correlate with lower risk. Focus on consistency and increasing your overall activity volume over time.
Overall, there was an association between PA and lower risk of incident obesity, CHD and diabetes, but not hypertension. Higher levels or amount of PA were associated with a reduced risk of new onset of the respective diseases in 20 studies (77%).
Why this rating
Systematic review of 26 longitudinal studies with large sample sizes (N > 1 million) and long follow-up (≥5 years), though reliant on self-reported PA.
Source
The association between physical activity with incident obesity, coronary heart disease, diabetes and hypertension in adults: a systematic review of longitudinal studies published after 2012
Laura Cleven et al. · BMC Public Health · 2020
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →