A new comprehensive review published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine has revealed a hopeful and exciting fact: being physically active at any time in adulthood can decrease risk of death (and more so from heart disease) – the review, which examined the evidence for patterns of physical activity and mortality in 85 prior studies did find that both lifelong and late movers benefited from longevity.

According to the review, those who have remained physically active across their adult lives have decreased death risk by 30–40% overall, whereas those who began engaging in regular physical activity later in their lives had a 20–25% decrease in mortality. In other words, starting late is better than not starting at all.

Currently, international health guidelines recommend that adults accumulate 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity, or 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week, or some combination of the two. Up until now, most of the research on which these recommendations were based collected information on a person’s physical activity level at one time point rather than considered long-term patterns.

In order to fill that gap, the researchers completed a large-scale meta-analysis of 85 studies that assessed the physical activity of participants multiple times across their engaging adulthood, having follow-up data and tracking changes in activity. The researchers were able to provide a dynamic perspective surrounding the association of physical activity and mortality.

One of the more notable finding was that participants who transitioned from an inactive lifestyle to an active lifestyle were 22% less likely to die from any cause, compared to individuals who stayed sedentary. Even individuals who simply transitioned from low levels of leisure-time physical activity to more active levels also had 27% lower mortality risk.

Individuals who were consistently active had a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease of almost 40%. The researchers also reported a reduced risk for cancer-related mortality (about 25%), but the data in that area was less robust.

The unusual thing is that the advantage of activity generally didn’t increase in proportion to increasing intensity. Those who exercised over the highest recommended levels received only a modest extra reduction in mortality risk. Moreover, there was even significant health benefit to exercising under the minimum recommendations, emphasizing that ‘some is always better than none.’

Also Read: Why 80% Of Indians Lack Protein, 5 Easy Ways To Improve Your Intake

The take home message? Whether you have been active for years, or you are just becoming physically active in midlife or later in life, consistent physical activity (especially if it is regular and prolonged) will help you live longer, improve your heart health, and reduce your overall risk of disease. Activity is medicine! And the best time to start is now!

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