It’s tempting to think that you can regularly enjoy a bowl of fettuccine Alfredo or a large slice of cheesecake and erase the negative health effects with a intense training. But that’s not the case, a new study has found.
Exercise doesn’t entirely make up for a poor diet when it comes to living longer, researchers reported this month in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Separate research has previously found that exercise is likely does not help people lose weight.
The new study ruled out “sensationalist” headlines and “misleading” ads for exercise regimens that “lure consumers into ‘exercising to eat what they want.'”
Diet quality remains important in those who are very physically active, said Melody Ding, lead author and associate professor in the department of medicine and health at the University of Sydney in Australia.
“Participants with the lowest mortality risk were those who had consistently high levels of physical activity and a high-quality diet across all three outcomes: deaths from all causes, deaths from cardiovascular disease, and deaths from cancer,” he said. Ding to TODAY.
“Exercise still protects against mortality risk, even if someone has a bad diet, it’s just much better to have exercise and a good diet.”
The impact of diet and exercise.
As a very active person, Ding set out to do the study because she was curious about the possibility of “overcoming a bad diet” when it came to longevity. “Sometimes when I have a craving for potato wedges or cheesecakes, I wonder if I have more ‘immunity’ against a bad diet,” she said.
To get the answer, she and her colleagues turned to a large database of British adults who self-reported their diet and exercise habits. The study sample included more than 346,000 participants in total.
They were considered to have a high-quality diet if they ate at least 4.5 cups a day of fruits and vegetables and two servings of fish a week, while limiting their servings of processed meat and red meat to twice a week or less , and five times a week or less, respectively.
It was challenging to record all aspects of people’s diets in such a large sample, so the data didn’t include how often participants ate sugary drinks, fast food and other discretionary options, Ding noted. “It’s a real shame… I hope we can address that in the future,” she added.
When it came to exercise, participants were grouped according to the number of minutes a week they engaged in vigorous-intensity physical activity, the kind that would leave them breathless, such as running, aerobics dancing and heavy yard work, he said. Ding. Previous investigation suggests that this type of movement may offer additional health benefits compared to moderate activity alone.
‘It’s not just a matter of energy balance’
After following the participants for an average of 11 years, the researchers examined how many died and their cause of death.
It turned out that people with the lowest risk of dying prematurely almost always had the highest-quality diet. Y participated in the highest or second highest amount of physical activity, which meant at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week.
But high levels of physical activity didn’t completely offset the detrimental effects of a poor diet on mortality risk, the study found.
“I had some hopes during the conceptualization of the project, but the results did not surprise me. I anticipated that diet is still important, even for the most active,” said Ding.
“We need to move our body and eat well. Diet and physical activity affect health through many mechanisms; it is not just a matter of energy balance. We need to think beyond ‘if I can burn that cake with exercise’. Eat and exercise for overall health.”
Focus on healthy behaviors most of the time.
Diet is the leading risk factor for seven of the 10 leading causes of death and disability, said Maya Vadiveloo, an assistant professor in the department of nutrition and food sciences at the University of Rhode Island. She was not surprised by the study’s findings.
On the other hand, someone who eats a highly nutritious diet but sits on the couch all day isn’t doing their body any favors either, because both diet and exercise are important for long-term health, he noted.
“Multiple elements of our lifestyle are important for health: We want to eat healthy diets and we want to move our bodies,” Vadiveloo, who was not involved in the new study, told TODAY.
Still, experts know that most people aren’t saints who lead perfectly healthy lives. If a person sometimes wants dessert, but most of the time chooses fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, plant sources of protein, fish, and heart-healthy oils, “I wouldn’t worry about that when the overall context is healthy,” Vadiveloo said.
For chip or cookie cravings, he recommended limiting portion size and how often you indulge, but not banning those foods entirely because they become too difficult to stick with.
To stay healthy, pay attention to what makes your body feel good, both from a diet and exercise perspective, Vadiveloo advised. If you’re sedentary because you hate running, try walking, dancing, or swimming. If you’re eating too much junk food, add in some healthier options that you still find enjoyable, like walnuts either sweet potatoes.
