Australian researchers from James Cook University and the University of Sydney have found a link between longevity and exercise which suggests vigorous exercise is not only more beneficial than relatively relaxed approaches to exercise, it also reduces the risk of mortality— effectively increasing one’s lifespan.
In the study, which was published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers analyzed over 200,000 adults over the age of 45, who they followed for over six years.
The researchers controlled for a number of variables including diet, age, BMI and even alcohol use and throughout it all, the mortality benefit from vigorous exercise was still apparent.
Klaus Gebel, the study’s lead author, was quoted by Forbes in a report as having said that regardless of “whether or not you are obese, and whether or not you have a heart disease or diabetes, if you can manage some vigorous activity it could offer significant benefits for longevity.”
The benefits of vigorous activity applied to men and women of all ages, and were independent of the total amount of time spent being active […] The results indicate that whether or not you are obese, and whether or not you have heart disease or diabetes, if you can manage some vigorous activity it could offer significant benefits for longevity.
Gebel, who is with the the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention at James Cook University, indicated that their research suggested “that even small amounts of vigorous activity could help reduce your risk of early death.”
Our research indicates that even small amounts of vigorous activity could help reduce your risk of early death […] For those with medical conditions, for older people in general, and for those who have never done any vigorous activity or exercise before, it’s always important to talk to a doctor first.
In an unrelated study conducted by psychologists at Brigham Young University in Utah, researchers found a link between social isolation and an increased overall risk of mortality, or in other words: loners die early.
