A new meta-analysis in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that higher physical activity decreases disease risk and early death. Researchers analyzed data from over 30 million people across 94 large studies. The study focused on non-occupational physical activity, including exercise and walking.
What Were the Study’s Key Findings?
The analysis showed that even small increases in physical activity had major benefits. The biggest risk reduction was between 0 and 8.75 metabolic equivalent task (mMET) hours per week. This equals about 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week.
At this activity level, the risk of death was 30% lower for all causes. Cardiovascular disease mortality dropped by 29%, while cancer mortality fell by 15%. Exercising more than 17.5 mMET hrs/week had smaller and less certain benefits.
The study estimates that if all inactive people exercised at least 8.75 mMET hrs/week, 15.7% of premature deaths could be prevented. This would save millions of lives worldwide.
What Were the Study’s Methods?
Researchers conducted a large meta-analysis on physical activity and health risks. They reviewed data from prospective cohort studies with at least 10,000 adults. The study focused on exercise and daily movement outside of work.
Occupational activity, like standing or light labor, is harder to measure. It also may not offer the same health benefits as exercise. Because of this, the study excluded physical activity done for work.
The research team searched PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science for studies. They included studies that measured leisure-time activity. The meta-analysis excluded studies that focused only on work-related movement.
Studies had to track participants for at least three years. This helped avoid early illness bias, where undiagnosed illness lowers activity levels.
The researchers converted different activity reports into a unified metric. They standardized activity levels using metabolic equivalent task mMET hrs/week. This allowed accurate comparisons across studies.
If studies reported only exercise frequency, duration, or energy use, estimates were calculated. Light, moderate, and vigorous activities were assigned mMET values based on guidelines.
What Were the Study’s Other Findings?
The study found a strong dose-response relationship between exercise and heart health. People who exercised 8.75 mMET hrs/week had a 27% lower risk of total cardiovascular disease (CVD). The strongest effect was for coronary heart disease, which showed a 21% lower risk.
Total cancer risk was 12% lower at 8.75 mMET hrs/week. Some cancers showed stronger benefits. Head and neck cancer, myeloid leukemia, myeloma, and gastric cardia cancer had a 22–35% lower risk. The effect was weaker for lung, liver, endometrial, colon, and breast cancers, which had a 5–16% lower risk.
No significant risk reductions were found for bladder, esophageal, prostate, or rectal cancer. The study estimated that 8.75 mMET hrs/week could prevent 5.2% of all cancer cases and 10.1% of all deaths.
Women showed stronger heart health benefits from exercise. Meanwhile, men had greater cancer risk reductions. Lower-intensity and shorter exercise sessions slightly increased cardiovascular benefits.
The study also found a curved dose-response pattern. Small increases in activity gave the most significant benefits, especially for inactive people. Benefits continued up to 17.5 mMET hrs/week, but gains leveled off beyond that point.
Limitations and Conclusion
The study was a meta-analysis, meaning it combined data from many studies. While this strengthens findings, differences between studies could affect results. Researchers adjusted for these differences, but some factors may still play a role.
Another limitation is that physical activity levels were self-reported. This can lead to over- or underestimation of actual exercise levels.
Despite these limits, the study confirms that regular exercise lowers risk of disease and early death. Even small increases in activity provide major health benefits, especially for inactive individuals.
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Logan Hamilton is a health and wellness freelance writer for hire. He’s passionate about crafting crystal-clear, captivating, and credible content that elevates brands and establishes trust. When not writing, Logan can be found hiking, sticking his nose in bizarre books, or playing drums in a local rock band. Find him at loganjameshamilton.com.
