Physical activity linked to lower death risk in US adults
Among 39,940 adults, physical activity was associated with a 32% lower relative risk of death compared with no physical activity.
Limit: Physical activity was self-reported through questionnaires
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
In a prospective cohort study, researchers analyzed 39,940 US adults aged 20 and older. Participants included men and women, with a weighted average age of 46.84 years. They reported their physical activity through questionnaires. Researchers linked survey records to death records; median follow-up was 113 months.
The researchers defined multiple chronic conditions as having at least two of four disease categories: high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and respiratory disease. After accounting for age differences, the share with multiple conditions rose from 15.87% in 1999–2000 to 19.96% in 2017–2018. Physical activity was associated with lower death risk, while having more of these conditions was associated with higher death risk.
Why it matters
The chronic conditions studied became more common with age. The findings bear on how physical activity relates to survival as chronic illnesses accumulate.
Caveats
This observational analysis used self-reported activity and cannot establish cause and effect. It included only participants with complete data and did not cover institutionalized adults, people under 20 or pregnant participants.
- Physical activity
- High-intensity physical activity
- Moderate-intensity physical activity
- Respiratory disease
- Multimorbidity
- Humans
The paper
Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine; Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Medicine, Jul 3, 2026, Open access
