Mar 3, 2022Study: Muscle-Strengthening Activities May Lower Risk of Mortality
According to a recent study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, regular engagement in muscle-strengthening activities, such as resistance training, may lower the risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes.
Using MEDLINE and Embase data from inception to June 2021, researchers performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of 16 prospective cohort studies which examined the association between muscle-strengthening activities and risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and all-cause mortality in adult patients.
A recent article from Healio News outlined the results of the study. Below is an excerpt from that article.
According to the study, muscle-strengthening activities included resistance, strength and weight training as well as calisthenics. Activities such as carrying heavy loads and heavy gardening were excluded.
After review, researchers found muscle-strengthening activities were associated with a 10% to 17% lower risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease (CVD), total cancer, diabetes, and lung cancer. Compared with no physical activity, combined muscle-strengthening and aerobic activities were also associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality, CVD, and total cancer, the researchers noted. No associations were found between strength training activities and the risk of site-specific cancers, such as colon, kidney, bladder, and pancreatic cancer, they added.
Additionally, researchers observed a J-shaped association with the maximum risk reduction at approximately 30 to 60 minutes per week of muscle-strengthening activities for all-cause mortality, CVD, and total cancer.
“These results suggest that optimal doses of muscle-strengthening activities for the prevention of all-cause death, CVD, and total cancer may exist,” the researchers wrote in the study. “Promoting muscle-strengthening activities may help in reducing the risk of premature death and NCDs,” they concluded.
To read the full article from Healio News, click here.
