Do More Exercise for Increased Longevity

Harvard-led research finds benefits to exceeding current recommendations.

For years, research has discovered that regular physical activity is associated with longer life spans, but the question has always been, ‘How much exercise is optimal?”

New research from Harvard, in collaboration with other universities, investigated the issue and came to some interesting conclusions. The study, “Long-Term Leisure Time Physical Activity Intensity and All-Cause and Cause Specific Mortality: A Prospective Cohort of US Adults,” discovered that people derived greater benefits in all-cause mortality from exercising more than standard government recommendations…The new study, however, says that nearly doubling this output led to “the maximum benefit of mortality reductions”. Specifically, the research suggested that 300-600 minutes (i.e. 5 - 10 hours) of moderate physical activity per week led to a 26% - 31% lower all cause mortality in adults. In addition, these same benefits were derived from 150-300 minutes of vigorous physical activity per week.

The Harvard led study was published in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association. ihrsa.org October 2022.