More evidence that being active extends life
Exercise is well-known to improve health, but new research finds that simply adding more movement throughout the day can actually help people live longer.
Those seeking to better their overall health often head to the gym — or, instead, become overwhelmed at the prospect and skip exercise altogether.
A new study has uncovered some hopeful news for those who may be hesitant to engage in an intense fitness regime, however.
Scientists at the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences in Stockholm have found that increased physical activity of any type reduces overall mortality risk "regardless of age, sex, and starting fitness level."
They recently presented their findings at EuroPrevent 2019, an event that the European Society of Cardiology held in Lisbon, Portugal.
Maximal oxygen uptake
The scientists examined the health records of over 316,000 adults from Sweden who had their first occupational health screening in 1995–2015.
One item they calculated was maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max). This measurement determines how much oxygen the heart and lungs will provide the muscles during exercise. In general, the more someone exercises or moves around, the higher their VO2 max will be.
Their study also looked into Swedish national registries to find data on mortality rates and first-time cardiovascular events, whether they were fatal or nonfatal.
When they looked at the VO2 max and compared it with mortality rates and cardiovascular events, they found that all-cause mortality rates fell by 2.8 percent and cardiovascular events fell by 3.2 percent for each milliliter increase in VO2 max.
The team saw these benefits across all sexes, ages, and starting fitness levels.
"People think they have to start going to the gym and exercising hard to get fitter," explains study author Dr. Elin Ekblom-Bak, of the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences.
"For most people, just being more active in daily life — taking the stairs, exiting the metro a station early, cycling to work — is enough to benefit health since levels are so low to start with. The more you do, the better."
-Dr. Elin Ekblom-Bak
