Research suggests that people who do strength training live longer.
Strength training is known to not only build muscles useful for sports and improve physique, but also to bring significant health benefits. A new study that tracked approximately 150,000 people for up to 30 years showed that people who strength train live longer.
Long-term resistance training with all-cause and cause-specific mortality: assessing dose-response and joint associations with aerobic physical activity | British Journal of Sports Medicine
People who lift weights live longer – new study
https://theconversation.com/people-who-lift-weights-live-longer-new-study-284787
A research team at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in the United States used data from three studies that tracked American healthcare professionals over a long period to investigate the association between strength training and reduced mortality.
The study involved approximately 150,000 participants who reported the time they spent on strength training and aerobic exercise (walking, cycling, swimming, etc.) every few years. During the approximately 30-year follow-up period, a total of about 36,000 participants died.
Analysis of the data revealed that people who performed 90 to 120 minutes of strength training per week had approximately 13% lower risk of death from any cause compared to those who did not perform any strength training. In particular, mortality from cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease and stroke, decreased by about 19%, and mortality from neurological diseases such as dementia decreased by about 27%. However, regarding cancer mortality, only strength training of less than 60 minutes per week was associated with a reduction in mortality.
An interesting point is that simply doing a lot of strength training isn't necessarily better; even doing more than 120 minutes of strength training per week didn't result in a significant reduction in risk.
Furthermore, the lowest mortality risk was observed in those who combined strength training with regular aerobic exercise. Even without strength training, at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week reduced mortality risk by 26-43%, but combining sufficient aerobic exercise with 60-120 minutes of strength training reduced mortality by approximately 45%.
The reason why strength training can extend lifespan is primarily thought to be related to 'muscles.' By strengthening skeletal muscles, which are the most metabolically active muscles in the body, glucose, an energy source, is stored in the muscles, and blood sugar levels can be better managed, potentially preventing type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Furthermore, myokines , which are bioactive substances released into the bloodstream when muscles contract, help suppress inflammation associated with heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. In addition, regular strength training is said to help lower blood pressure and prevent arteriosclerosis, thus contributing to the prevention of cardiovascular disease.
Recent studies have shown that middle-aged and older adults with strong muscles are less likely to develop dementia, suggesting that muscle training may bring about beneficial changes in the brain. Having strong muscles is also effective in preventing the effects of falls and fractures, impacting not only lifespan but also quality of life.
Middle-aged and elderly people with low muscle strength are more likely to develop dementia - GIGAZINE
Jack McNamara, senior lecturer in clinical exercise physiology at the University of East London, who introduced the study, pointed out that the research only examined the correlation between strength training and mortality, and could not prove a causal relationship that 'strength training lowers mortality.'
McNamara then argued that the amount of exercise considered to contribute to longevity is easily achievable for the average person. 'Short training sessions that work all the major muscle groups about twice a week, plus aerobic exercise every day, seem to be enough to improve overall health and longevity,' he said.
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in Science, Posted by log1h_ik