Get up and be on the move and live longer, says a new University of Pennsylvania study.
The Penn researchers examined data from about 3,000 people from ages 50-79 who were participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
They found that those who exercised and moved around and spent less time sitting tended to live longer.
Lead author and doctoral candidate in demography at Penn, Ezra Fishman said:
“The folks who were walking around, washing the dishes, sweeping the floor tended to live longer than the people who were sitting at a desk.”
Although previous studies have shown similar results, this one is a little different. Most studies of this nature ask participants to report their own activity information, which most people end up exaggerating. However, this study didn’t leave it up to the participants. Instead the study used motion trackers, also called accelerometers.
As reported in the study abstract:
One of the greatest takeaways the researchers got is that even adding simple exercise like 10 minutes of light activity a day can make a difference. Replacing 30 minutes of sedentary time with physical activity showed even better results.
“You didn’t have to even get a good sweat to experience the reduced likelihood of mortality,” Fishman said. “Activity doesn’t have to be especially vigorous to be beneficial. That’s the public health message.”
[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”#228B22″ class=”” size=”17″]“When it comes to physical activity,” Fishman added, “more is better than less, and anything is better than nothing.”[/pullquote]The study showing that you can move and live longer was published in the journal Medicine & Science In Sports & Exercise.
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REFERENCES:
1. “Keep Moving, Live Longer.” Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, n.d. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
2. “New Penn Study Links Moving More With Decreased Mortality.” Penn News. University of Pennsylvania, n.d. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
3. “Association between Objectively Measured Physical Activity and Mortality in NHANES.” Medicine & Science In Sports & Exercise. American College of Sports Medicine, n.d. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
4. “National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 24 Feb. 2016. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
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