Exercise lengthens your life - even if you're overweight

[millenium girl]

Add this to the list of reasons why exercise is good for you: A new study says 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity, leisure time exercise is associated with roughly 3.4 years added to a person's life.

Researchers from the National Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, and other organizations analyzed six different prospective cohort studies of more than 632,000 people ages 40 and older. The studies had a median follow-up period of 10 years, with roughly 82,000 reported deaths. Regular, moderate intensity exercise was associated with an increased life expectancy, even when the person exercising had an unhealthy Body Mass Index (BMI).

Dr. I-Min Lee, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and the senior author of the study, says that not exercising but having a healthy weight was associated with 3.1 fewer years of life, compared to obese people who were active. Conversely, people who exercised 150 minutes a week and had a healthy BMI gained an extra 7.2 years of life.

[CNN]

 

[Critical Mass]

I like that! Thanks for posting.

 

[John Benz]

Nice article MG!

 

[Number-LL]

If my calculations are right, you get about 3X the extra life as the time you spend exercising. Just figured 150mins a week for 60 years. Not a bad deal.

 

[willi]

Thanks MG,

That was interesting. I wonder about their calculation of BMI with regards to bodybuilders?

 

[Remo]

I think another good study would be quality of life. I know my patients are usually 55 and over and their bodies are more the age of 85. I know that a reasonable diet and moderate exercise not only would keep an average person healthy longer, but also could actually reverse many of the ailments they currently have.
I cant judge them though. I know its hard to break habits that have 50 years behind them.

 

[liftsiron]

Nice MG.