Inactive individuals appear to have an increased risk of dying prematurely but daily physical activity does not show any additional benefit

In December 2018 researchers from Korea published the results of their study to assess the relationship between amount of physical activity and longevity. The medical records of 23,257,723 individuals who had undergone medical evaluation were assessed to determine the amount of exercise undertaken. Those who did not exercise at all, as well as those who undertook more than 20 minutes of vigorous or more than 30 minutes of moderate physical activity or walking were divided into four groups, namely 0 days/week, 1-3 days/week, 4-5 days/week and 6-7 days/week. Results showed that those who exercised 4-5 days/week had the lowest risk of dying prematurely. Individuals who did not exercise at all and those who exercised 1-3 days/week or 6-7 days/week showed a significantly increased risk of dying prematurely when compared to those who exercised 4-5 days/week.

Lee DAY et al. Appropriate Amount of Regular Exercise Is Associated with a Reduced Mortality Risk. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2018 Dec;50(12):2451-2458

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