Weight exercise can lower risk of premature death: Study
One of the largest studies of its kind published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine has shown that regular exercise with weights can lower the risk of premature death.
The research found that those who did ‘regular’ weightlifting had a 14 per cent lower risk while those who met the aerobic activity levels had a 32 per cent lower risk of premature death.
The study also added that adults who reported meeting the aerobic activity guidelines and weightlifting at least one or two times every week were found to have a 41 per cent to 47 per cent lower risk of premature death.
To arrive at the numbers, US’s National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Maryland examined the research data from almost 100,000 US adults that took part in the study, spread across more than nine years.
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Reportedly, the study took participants who had an average age of 71 and asked them about the kind of exercise regimen they partake in. While 23 per cent reported having been involved in weightlifting, 16 per cent said they used weights at least one time to six times a week.
Over the next 9.6 years of the study, more than 28,447 deaths were reported with the researchers observing that participants who did weightlifting had a 9 per cent lower “all-cause mortality risk”
The researchers stated that using weights in a workout can make a body leaner as total lean mass is independently associated with a lower risk of premature death.
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“Our finding that mortality risk appeared to be lowest for those who participated in both types of exercise provides strong support for current recommendations to engage in both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities,” said the authors of the study.
In conclusion, adults were urged to do 150 minutes of moderate-intensity workout a week or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity workout.
(With inputs from agencies)
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