Exercise types linked to lower risk of early death

A BMJ Medicine analysis of more than 110,000 adults found that frequent walking and a wider mix of activities were associated with about a 17–19% lower risk of death from any cause, while stair climbing showed about a 10% lower risk and cycling and swimming showed smaller associations.

A large observational study reported in BMJ Medicine examined links between types of physical activity and risk of dying from any cause. Researchers analyzed data from two cohorts totaling about 111,000 adults. Participants reported weekly time spent on activities such as walking, running, cycling, swimming, rowing, racquet sports, weight training, yoga and chores like gardening and stair climbing. MET-hours per week were calculated to compare energy spent across activities. Key findings: - Walking: those who walked the most had about a 17% lower risk of death compared with those who walked the least. - A wider mix of activities was associated with roughly a 19% lower risk of death from any cause. - Stair climbing was associated with about a 10% lower risk. - Racquet sports and rowing were linked to roughly 15% and 14% lower risk, respectively; running and weight training were each around 13%. - Cycling showed a smaller association (about 4%), and swimming showed smaller or no clear association in this analysis. - The relationship between activity and mortality tended to level off after about 20 MET-hours per week, and higher-activity groups also had lower blood pressure and cholesterol, lower weight, less alcohol use, more social activity and healthier diets. Summary: The study indicates that frequent walking and participating in a broader range of activities were associated with lower overall mortality, while different activities showed varying strengths of association. Researchers noted that benefits flattened after about 20 MET-hours per week and that questions about whether variety outweighs total activity remain, with next steps undetermined at this time.