Exercising more than recommended could lengthen life, study suggests
July 29, 2022 – Getting the federally recommended amount of physical activity can reduce the risk of early death—but boosting activity higher can further reduce the risk, according to a study co-authored by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Dong Hoon Lee.
The study, published July 25 in the journal Circulation, analyzed 30 years of medical records and mortality data from more than 100,000 adults enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. Researchers found that people who followed the minimum guidelines for physical activity—150–300 minutes per week of moderate-intensity activity, or 75–150 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity activity—reduced their risk of early death by as much as 21%. But people who exercised from two to four times the minimum were able to lower their risk by as much as 31%.
