Regular weight-bearing exercise can reduce the risk of death

A study of older adults published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that regular weight-bearing exercise can reduce the risk of death from any cause, except
cancer.

The findings suggest that ensuring that weekly exercise programs include weightlifting and aerobic exercise appears to have an added effect
.

Current physical activity guidelines for all adults recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week, or at least 75 minutes of high-intensity aerobic activity, or an equivalent combination of both—often referred to as MVPA (moderate-to-high-intensity physical activity).

All adults are recommended to participate in activities
that exercise all major muscle groups.

To fill this knowledge gap, the researchers began to assess the potential effects
of weight-bearing and aerobic exercise on the risk of death in older adults, separately and jointly.

They selected participants
from prostate, lung, colorectal, and ovarian cancer (PLCO) screening trials.

In 2006, 104,002 participants were also asked whether they had exercised weightlifting in the past year and, if so, how many times they had done it — from less than once a month to several times
a week.

They were asked about the frequency and duration
of moderate-intensity and high-intensity physical activity in the past year.

Moderate-intensity activity is described as "activity that causes you to sweat a little or raises your breathing and heart rate to a moderately high level," while high-intensity activity is described as "activity that causes you to sweat a lot or raises your breathing and heart rate to a very high level
.

Based on the total number of exercise minutes per week, 4 activity groups were generated: (1) inactive, 0 minutes; (2) aerobic MVPA deficiency, 1-149 minutes; (3) sufficient, moderate or equivalent strenuous exercise of more than 150 minutes; and (4) high activity, i.

Overall, the responses of 99,713 people were included in the final analysis, of which 28,477 died
during an average of 9 and a half years of monitoring.

Nearly a quarter (23%) of respondents said they had participated in weightlifting activities; 16% said they regularly do 1 to 6 weightlifting exercises
per week.

Both weight-bearing exercise and aerobic MVPA independently reduce the risk of death from any cause, as well as the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, but without the risk
of death from cancer.

Overall, doing weightlifting exercise without MVPA was associated with a 9-22% lower risk of death, depending on the amount of exercise: for example, doing a weightlifting exercise once or twice a week was associated
with a 14% lower risk.

Similarly, among those who did not perform weight-bearing exercise, aerobic exercise MVPA had a 24-34%
lower risk of death from any cause compared to those who did neither weight-bearing nor aerobic exercise.

But those with the lowest risk of death are those who do both physical activities at the same time
.

For example, those who said they reached the most recommended MVPA level per week and exercised weightlifting once or twice a week had a 41-47%
lower risk of death compared to those who did not exercise.

There were no significant changes in education attainment, smoking or not, body mass index, ethnicity and ethnicity in the observed correlations, but gender will: more
strongly correlated in women.

This is an observational study, so the cause cannot be determined, in addition to this, it also relies on personal recollection, including data
from a single point in time.
Specific details about training intensity, training load, amount of exercise (number of sets and repetitions), and the time participants spent on weight-bearing training were not available, all of which may have influenced the results of
the study.

The researchers say the study only looked at weight, but there are also other types of muscle-enhancing exercises, such as aerobics, including push-ups and squats.
Pilates; There are also enhanced sports, including the Tucker Jump and the Stand-Ups
.

Using weight can make the body slimmer: Total lean mass is independently associated with a lower risk of death, the researchers explain their findings
.
If you're working out in the gym, it can also be very social – another factor
related to longevity and health.

"We found that people who participate in both sports appear to have the lowest risk of death, which provides strong support
for current recommendations for both aerobic and muscle-building exercises," they wrote.

They concluded: "Older adults may benefit
from adding weightlifting exercise to their daily physical activity.
"