Exercise may increase lifespan ‘regardless of past activity levels’

Exercise is good for us, without a doubt. From lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes, to increasing life expectancy, the benefits of physical activity are numerous, as countless studies have shown.

But does it matter when one starts to exercise, and is it ever too late to reap the benefits? New research looks at the effects that exercise in middle and older age have on the risk of premature death and lifespan.

Specifically, a team of researchers has examined how changes in exercise levels over time affect a person’s risk of dying from any cause, as well as dying from specific conditions — such as cardiovascular disease.

Alexander Mok, a doctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, led the new research, which appears in the journal The BMJ.

As Mok and colleagues explain in their paper, while numerous studies have already addressed the links between physical activity and mortality risk, fewer have focused on how exercise levels fluctuate over time and how these changes may affect longevity.

So, the scientists set out to remedy this research gap by conducting a large “population-based cohort study,” which included data on almost 15,000 people.
Source: Exercise may increase lifespan ‘regardless of past activity levels’