Higher Physical Activity Levels Can Increase Life Expectancy
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Nov. 15, 2024 -- Higher physical activity (PA) levels can increase life expectancy, according to a study published online Nov. 14 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Lennert Veerman, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., from the Griffith University School of Medicine and Dentistry in Gold Coast, Australia, and colleagues estimated how much low PA reduces life expectancy by applying a predictive model based on device-measured PA risk estimates and a life-table model analysis among adults aged 40 years and older. In addition, the authors examined how much life expectancy could be improved by increasing PA levels.
The researchers found that Americans older than 40 years could live an extra 5.3 years if all individuals were as active as the top 25 percent of the population. Individuals in the lowest activity quartile had the greatest gain in lifetime per hour of walking, where an additional hour of walking could add 376.3 minutes of life expectancy.
"Higher PA levels provide a substantial increase in population life expectancy. Increased investment in PA promotion and creating PA promoting living environments can promote healthy longevity," the authors write. "Infrastructure measures that encourage active transport, walkable neighborhoods as well and green spaces might be promising approaches to increase PA and resultant healthy life expectancy at the population level."
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted November 2024
Read this next
Pulmonary Embolism More Common in Children Than Previously Thought
THURSDAY, May 22, 2025 -- Pulmonary embolism (PE) is more common in children than previously thought, according to a study presented at the American Thoracic Society 2025...
Mortality, Sudden Cardiac Death Higher for Male Professional Bodybuilders
THURSDAY, May 22, 2025 -- The risks for death and sudden cardiac death (SCD) are higher for male bodybuilders than amateurs, according to a study published online May 20 in the...
Half of Youth-Serving Clinicians Screen for Substance Use Disorder at Every Well Visit
THURSDAY, May 22, 2025 -- Just over half of youth-serving clinicians report that they routinely screen adolescents for substance use disorders (SUDs) at every well visit...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.