Research exploring the relationship between muscle-strengthening activities and the risk of death suggests that a weekly practice of 30 to 60 minutes might have a significant impact on our longevity.
Explore the health benefits of strengthening activities
Published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, this new study by Japanese scientists involved the analysis of 16 research on the routines of adult subjects without serious health problems. In total, data from hundreds of thousands of men and women between the ages of 18 and 97 were taken into account, offering valuable insight into the impact of muscle-strengthening activities on mortality risk.
Examples of muscle-strengthening exercises include weight lifting, resistance band exercises, push-ups, squats, and even heavy gardening with tools.
While previous work had shown that regular practice of muscle strengthening activities was generally correlated with a lower risk of death, the research team wanted to precisely estimate the optimal amount of exercise. Their systematic review revealed that the maximum effect was linked to 30-60 minutes of muscle-strengthening exercises per week, reducing the risk of death from any cause by 10-20%.
The team also found that doing this type of activity for 60 minutes a week was associated with a strong reduction in the risk of diabetes. Interestingly, the study authors did not find conclusive evidence that doing more than one hour of muscle-strengthening activity had any added benefit.
Even more striking effects when combined with aerobic exercises
The combination of muscle-strengthening activities and aerobic exercise had even greater effects. This was associated with a 40% reduction in the risk of death from all causes, 46% in the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and 28% in the risk of death from cancer.
The study has a few limitations that are worth noting: the literature reviewed relies on subjective assessments of muscle-strengthening activities, rather than careful observation in a clinical setting, and most of the studies were conducted in the United States . The authors hope to conduct further research in more diverse populations to further support these findings.
