Higher Physical Activity Levels Can Increase Life Expectancy
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.
Read this next
Lung Cancer Screening Beneficial to Age 80 for Candidates Fit for Surgery
FRIDAY, Sept. 12, 2025 -- People aged 75 to 80 years at last screen who are diagnosed with screen-detected lung cancer (LC) have lower overall survival, but those undergoing...
Sex Differences Seen in Characteristics, Course of Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder
FRIDAY, Sept. 12, 2025 -- Significant sex differences are seen in the characteristics and course of schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD), according to a study published...
Potentially Inappropriate Medications Linked to Frailty at Cancer Diagnosis
FRIDAY, Sept. 12, 2025 -- For patients with newly diagnosed cancer, an increasing number of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs), as identified by the Geriatric Oncology...
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.