The Potential for Exercise to Prevent 1 in 12 Early Deaths

Yet again, we have the PURE study this week stirring up headlines around the world. A couple of weeks ago, it was nutrition. Today in Lancet, they’re publishing data on the potential for exercise to prevent deaths.

Scott Lear and colleagues say that 30 minutes of exercise, five days a week can make a big difference. It could prevent one in 12 deaths and one in 20 cases of heart disease around the world. If five sessions in the gym sounds unmanageable, the researchers say physical jobs and household chores are good enough to count.

Confirmation, Not Sensation

Last time, the PURE study publications were all about nutrition. The authors were hyping the novelty of their findings and misleading the public. All this despite findings that were nothing new. They didn’t provide shocking new insights on nutrition. It was all spin.

This time, they’re on a more sensible track. These findings are not terribly new, either. But they do provide an important confirmation. Physical activity cuts the risk of an early death. It cuts the risk of heart disease. And it doesn’t matter whether you’re doing it for work, to go somewhere, to get things done at home, or just for fun. It’s all good.

So just do it. Get moving. Enjoy life. Live more of it. It’s an excellent bargain.

Click here for the study and here for further commentary on it. For more from Reuters, click here.

Subscribe by email to follow the accumulating evidence and observations that shape our view of health, obesity, and policy.

September 22, 2017