US guidelines advise adults to get 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, plus muscle-strengthening on at least 2 days2Guideline · 2023Adult Activity: An Overview (Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans)According to the current Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, adults need 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week. This can also be 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity. In addition, adults need at least 2 days o…Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They also advise adults to move more and sit less1Guideline · 2018Top 10 Things to Know About the Second Edition of the Physical Activity Guidelines for AmericansThe first key guideline for adults is to move more and sit less. This recommendation is based on new evidence that shows a strong relationship between increased sedentary behavior and increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and all-cause mortality. All physical activity, especially moderate-to-vigorous…US Department of Health and Human Services (ODPHP).
What the studies show
A review that pooled 50 results from large studies of the general population (more than 30 million people overall) linked 150 minutes a week of moderate activity to a 31% lower risk of death from any cause than being inactive. The gain was largest from zero up to that level, smaller up to about twice that amount, and small and uncertain beyond5Meta-analysis · 2023Non-occupational physical activity and risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and mortality outcomes: a dose-response meta-analysis of large prospective studies.Inverse non-linear dose-response associations suggest substantial protection against a range of chronic disease outcomes from small increases in non-occupational physical activity in inactive adults. PROSPERO registration number CRD42018095481.Br J Sports Med. These figures compare groups, so the gain for one person depends on their starting risk. The review estimated that about 16% of early deaths would have been avoided if every inactive person reached that level5Meta-analysis · 2023Non-occupational physical activity and risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and mortality outcomes: a dose-response meta-analysis of large prospective studies.Inverse non-linear dose-response associations suggest substantial protection against a range of chronic disease outcomes from small increases in non-occupational physical activity in inactive adults. PROSPERO registration number CRD42018095481.Br J Sports Med.
A study that followed 416,175 people in Taiwan for about 8 years found that 15 minutes a day (about 92 minutes a week) was linked to a 14% lower risk of death and about 3 more years of life than being inactive. Each extra 15 minutes a day was linked to a further 4% lower risk9Observational study · 2011 · 416,175 peopleMinimum amount of physical activity for reduced mortality and extended life expectancy: a prospective cohort study.15 min a day or 90 min a week of moderate-intensity exercise might be of benefit, even for individuals at risk of cardiovascular disease.Lancet.
A review of 8 studies using activity trackers (36,383 people, average age 63, followed a median of 5.8 years) found that people in the most active quarter had about a 73% lower risk of death than the least active quarter. Light activity counted too3Meta-analysis · 2019 · 36 peopleDose-response associations between accelerometry measured physical activity and sedentary time and all cause mortality: systematic review and harmonised meta-analysis.Higher levels of total physical activity, at any intensity, and less time spent sedentary, are associated with substantially reduced risk for premature mortality, with evidence of a non-linear dose-response pattern in middle aged and older adults.BMJ.
Long sitting was linked to higher risk of death. In a review of 13 studies with over 1 million people, about 60 to 75 minutes a day of moderate activity seemed to cancel out the added risk of sitting. It did not fully cancel the risk from 5 or more hours of daily TV4Meta-analysis · 2016 · 791 peopleDoes physical activity attenuate, or even eliminate, the detrimental association of sitting time with mortality? A harmonised meta-analysis of data from more than 1 million men and women.High levels of moderate intensity physical activity (ie, about 60-75 min per day) seem to eliminate the increased risk of death associated with high sitting time. However, this high activity level attenuates, but does not eliminate the increased risk associated with high TV-viewing time. These results provide further…Lancet.
Better fitness was linked to lower risk of death. In a review of 33 studies, low-fitness people died from any cause about 1.7 times as often as high-fitness people6Meta-analysis · 2009 · 980 peopleCardiorespiratory fitness as a quantitative predictor of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events in healthy men and women: a meta-analysis.Better CRF was associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality and CHD/CVD. Participants with a MAC of 7.9 METs or more had substantially lower rates of all-cause mortality and CHD/CVD events compared with those with a MAC of less 7.9 METs.JAMA.
A large trial of physical activity in 49,331 women has been completed13Registered trial · 2015Women's Health Initiative Strong and Healthy StudyClinicalTrials.gov.
Key studies
Study
Who
What it found
Review of 94 cohorts, 20235Meta-analysis · 2023Non-occupational physical activity and risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and mortality outcomes: a dose-response meta-analysis of large prospective studies.Inverse non-linear dose-response associations suggest substantial protection against a range of chronic disease outcomes from small increases in non-occupational physical activity in inactive adults. PROSPERO registration number CRD42018095481.Br J Sports Med
General adults, over 30 million
31% lower death risk at 150 minutes a week
Study following people, 20119Observational study · 2011 · 416,175 peopleMinimum amount of physical activity for reduced mortality and extended life expectancy: a prospective cohort study.15 min a day or 90 min a week of moderate-intensity exercise might be of benefit, even for individuals at risk of cardiovascular disease.Lancet
416,175 Taiwanese adults
15 minutes a day linked to 14% lower risk
Review of 8 studies, 20193Meta-analysis · 2019 · 36 peopleDose-response associations between accelerometry measured physical activity and sedentary time and all cause mortality: systematic review and harmonised meta-analysis.Higher levels of total physical activity, at any intensity, and less time spent sedentary, are associated with substantially reduced risk for premature mortality, with evidence of a non-linear dose-response pattern in middle aged and older adults.BMJ
36,383 adults, average age 63
Most active quarter had about 73% lower risk
Review of 13 studies, 20164Meta-analysis · 2016 · 791 peopleDoes physical activity attenuate, or even eliminate, the detrimental association of sitting time with mortality? A harmonised meta-analysis of data from more than 1 million men and women.High levels of moderate intensity physical activity (ie, about 60-75 min per day) seem to eliminate the increased risk of death associated with high sitting time. However, this high activity level attenuates, but does not eliminate the increased risk associated with high TV-viewing time. These results provide further…Lancet
Over 1 million adults
Much activity offset the risk from sitting
What we don't know
Whether activity itself causes the longer life. Active people may differ in other healthy ways, and some studies relied on self-reported activity7Meta-analysis · 2016 · 874 peopleQuantifying the Association Between Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.By using a single continuous metric for PA levels, we were able to make a comparison of the effect of PA on CVD incidence and mortality including myocardial infarct (MI), stroke, and heart failure, as well as T2DM. Effect sizes were generally similar for CVD and T2DM, and suggested that the greatest gain in health is…J Am Heart Assoc.
Whether very high activity adds benefit. Gains above about twice the recommended amount are small and uncertain5Meta-analysis · 2023Non-occupational physical activity and risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and mortality outcomes: a dose-response meta-analysis of large prospective studies.Inverse non-linear dose-response associations suggest substantial protection against a range of chronic disease outcomes from small increases in non-occupational physical activity in inactive adults. PROSPERO registration number CRD42018095481.Br J Sports Med.
Written by AI from the studies listed, without review by a clinician, and graded with the GRADE method. It can be wrong, so check the studies it cites. Education, not medical advice.