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\n 11\/07\/2025 – 6:30 GMT+2<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s never too late to start exercising, according to a new study that found people who transition from inactive to active lifestyles in adulthood can reduce their mortality risks by 22 per cent.<\/p>\n
Health experts, scientists, and medical organisations agree that physical activity benefits both the body and the mind.\u00a0 What has been less clear is exactly how much exercise helps, which patterns of activity are most effective, and at which stages of life they are most important.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM) aimed to answer those questions by identifying how physical activity during adulthood can influence the risk of dying from heart disease, cancer, and other health issues.<\/p>\n
Researchers analysed data from 85 studies of varying size. The number of participants per study ranged from 357 to over 6.5 million participants.<\/p>\n
Overall, the analysis found that exercising in adulthood can yield significant health benefits, reducing the risk of mortality by 20 per cent to 40 per cent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Specifically, adults who are regularly active can curb these risks by up to 30 per cent to 40 per cent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And even those who transition from an inactive to an active lifestyle can reduce their risk of death from any cause by approximately 22 per cent.<\/p>\n
Certain forms of fitness come with more health benefits than others<\/p>\n
Exercise does not appear to reduce all health risks equally. For example, it was tied to a 30 per cent to 40 per cent lower risk of death from heart disease, but the links to cancer mortality were less clear.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, not all types of exercise had the same effect on adults\u2019 health.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The paper suggests that adults who work out in their spare time can reduce their health risks more than people who are active by happenstance at work or home.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The complex relationship between fitness and health risks<\/p>\n
Some experts argue that the relationship between fitness and mortality risk is a little more nuanced than the latest study suggests.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBased on these types of studies, we cannot very confidently say to what extent this lower mortality risk is due to the differences in activity or other factors that differ,\u201d Marcel Ballin, who researches physical activity and health at Uppsala University in Sweden, told Euronews Next.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That could include genetics and environmental exposures that influence people\u2019s health and well-being.<\/p>\n