Active aging is key to good health at this stage of life. A team of researchers from the National Cancer Institute (USA) has discovered that the practice of exercises with weights could reduce the risk of dying prematurely, except from cancer, and adding aerobic activities of moderate and vigorous intensity would increase that benefit even more .
The research has been carried out in a group of 99,713 people with an average age of 71, who reported their daily physical activities during the last 9 and a half years. 23% of them declared lifting weights at some time, 16% did it between one and six times a week, 32% were aerobically active, among them 24% met the exercise recommendations and 8% exceeded it.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week, a minimum of 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise, or an equal combination of the two. In addition, adults are also advised to work all the major muscles.
Do weights, recommended even in the elderly
Results published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine revealed that both weight-bearing and aerobic exercise were independently associated with a lower likelihood of dying from any cause, except death from cancer. Specifically, weights alone reduced the risk of dying by between 9% and 22%, for example, training with weights once or twice a week reduced this risk by 14%.
Weight training reduces fat mass, which has been associated with a lower risk of death, and socializing in gyms could also help you live longer
For its part, the practice of aerobic exercise could help lower the risk of death by between 24% and 34%. However, the lowest risk of death observed in this study corresponded to those who responded that they practiced both aerobic exercise and weights once or twice a week, with a figure between 41% and 47% less likely to die.
Although it is an observational study and no hasty conclusions can be drawn, the authors believe that this beneficial association could be due to the fact that weight training can make you lose weight, reducing fat mass, something that is associated with a lower risk of death. Also, if the exercise is done in a gym, socializing could also help you live longer and healthier.
“Our finding that mortality risk appeared to be lower for those who participated in both types of exercise provides strong support for current recommendations to engage in both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities. Older adults would likely benefit from adding weight-bearing exercises to their physical activity routines,” the study authors explain.
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