A study in older people found that Weight training exercise is associated with a lower chance of death from any cause, with the exception of cancer. The statistics also suggested that sticking to a week exercise program that includes weights and cardiovascular activity has an additional benefit. The study findings were published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. (Also read: Exactly How Much Should You Exercise to Prevent Death? you can find out now )
Current physical activity guidelines for all people recommend at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, or an equivalent combination of the two (known as MVPA) (moderate-to-vigorous physical activity) . It is also recommended that all adults incorporate activities that work all major muscle groups. While aerobic exercise is consistently associated with a lower risk of death, it’s not clear whether weight training has the same impact.
To fill this knowledge gap, the researchers set out to examine the possible influence of weight training and aerobic exercise on the risk of death in older people separately and together. They were based on the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Assay. This study began in 1993 and involves 154,897 men and women between the ages of 55 and 74 from 10 different cancer centers in the United States.
In 2006, 104,002 of the participants were also asked whether they had exercised with weights in the past year and, if so, how often, from once a month to several times a week. They were also asked about the frequency and duration of moderate-intensity and vigorous-intensity physical activity in the past year.
Moderate intensity was defined as “exercise that produced a light sweat or raised breathing and heart rate to moderately high levels,” while severe activity was defined as “activity that produced heavy perspiration or raised breathing and heart rate at very high levels.” “
Based on total weekly MVPA minutes, four activity groups were formed: (1) inactive, 0 minutes; (2) insufficient aerobic MVPA, 1-149 minutes; (3) Sufficient, more than 150 minutes of moderate or equivalent vigorous activity; and (4) very active, 301 or more minutes of moderate or equivalent vigorous activity.
The final study contained responses from 99,713 people, 28,477 of whom died during an average of 912 years of follow-up. Their mean age at the start of the follow-up period was 71 years and their mean body mass index (BMI) was 27.8 kg/m2, indicating that they were overweight.
Nearly a quarter (23%) of those surveyed reported some weight-bearing activity, and 16% said they exercised with weights one to six times per week. Nearly a third (32%) were aerobically active enough and met (24%) or exceeded (8%) the MVPA requirements. Weight training and aerobic MVPA were associated with a lower risk of death from any cause, as well as cardiovascular disease, but not cancer.
Exercising with weights was associated with a 9-22% lower risk of death in the absence of MVPA, depending on the amount: for example, using weights once or twice a week was associated with a 14% lower risk. Similarly, among those who did not exercise with weights, aerobic MVPA was associated with a 24-34% lower risk of death from any cause, compared with those who reported neither MVPA nor weight training.
However, those who reported doing both types of physical activity had the lowest risk of dying. For example, those who reported meeting the recommended weekly amounts of MVPA and exercising with weights once or twice a week had a 41-47% lower risk of death than those who were physically sedentary.
Educational attainment, smoking, BMI, race and ethnicity had no effect on the observed relationships, but gender did: the associations were higher in women. This is an observational study, so it cannot establish a cause and is based on personal recollection and data from a single point in time. There were no specific details on training intensity, training load, volume (sets and repetitions) or how long the participants had been exercising with weights, which could have influenced the findings.
The study only used weights, although the researchers include calisthenics (push-ups and squats), Pilates and plyometrics (jumping jacks and burpees) as other types of muscle-strengthening exercises. Weight training may help you lose weight: Total lean mass is independently linked to a lower risk of death, according to the researchers as an explanation for their findings. And, if done in a gym, it can be quite social, another aspect of living a better and longer life.
“Our finding that people who participated in both types of exercise tended to have the lowest mortality risk provides strong support for current recommendations for aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercise,” they write. They conclude: “Older adults would certainly benefit from adding weight-bearing activities to their physical activity programs.”
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