Loose Women: Dr Hilary discusses how to live longer
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With life expectancy slightly dipping over the past few years in the UK, many are on the search for simple lifestyle tweaks that can boost their longevity. What’s more, researchers keep looking into healthy habits that could help with this. And a new promising study adds to this by saying that “high levels” of a certain “light” activity might be even “stronger” than your genes.
It won’t probably come as a surprise that spending a long time sitting down is linked to a “higher” risk of dying.
While the new study, published in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, echoes this, the research also found that light exercise could be very effective at staving off death.
What’s more, this could be true even if long life doesn’t seem to be on the cards for you based on your genes.
The research team from the University of California San Diego compared various activities and the risk of dying.
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The lead author Alexander Posis said: “The goal of this research was to understand whether associations between physical activity and sedentary time with death varied based on different levels of genetic predisposition for longevity.”
As a part of another study, the researchers started measuring the physical activity of 5,446 women back in 2012.
The American women, who were 63 years and older at the time, were followed up until 2020 to determine their mortality.
The participants had to wear a device for up to seven days that measured how much time they spent moving, the intensity of their physical activity, as well as their sedentary time.
The research found that higher levels of “light” physical activity were associated with a “lower risk of death”.
As exercise is very beneficial for your overall health, moderate and vigorous activities were also encouraged by the study.
In contrast, higher time spent sitting down was deemed bad for your lifespan and linked to a higher risk of dying.
However, the exciting news is that these associations were consistent among women who had different levels of genetic predisposition for longevity.
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Senior author Aladdin H. Shadyab said: “Our study showed that, even if you aren’t likely to live long based on your genes, you can still extend your lifespan by engaging in positive lifestyle behaviours such as regular exercise and sitting less.
“Conversely, even if your genes predispose you to a long life, remaining physically active is still important to achieve longevity.”
Based on these findings, the study is recommending older women to partake in physical activities of any intensity to cut the risk of disease as well as premature death.
The NHS guidelines recommend all adults to do some type of exercise on a daily basis.
Plus, the research highlighting the benefits of exercise for your health is extensive. The health service shares that exercising just twice a week can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke.
The NHS recommends to:
- Do strengthening activities that engage all the major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms) on at least two days a week
- Do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity weekly (or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity weekly).
However, the health service also advises consulting your GP if you have any medical conditions or concerns before you start exercising.
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