Exercise Extends Life More Than Many Diets and Medicines

Doctors in China around 2600 BC and Hippocrates, living 2200 years later, considered exercise valuable for health. In the 20th century, however, the opposite view emerged: exercise was believed harmful. In 1953, Jerry Morris conducted the first major study of the link between physical inactivity (sedentary living) and chronic disease. In 1954, Cambridge University doctors investigated exercise’s effects at the 100th boat race between Cambridge and Oxford universities.

From these studies to the present, strong evidence shows that physical exercise reduces the risk of coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, colon cancer and depression and similar chronic diseases. One such study was published in 2012 in Lancet . It investigated physical inactivity’s effects on deaths from chronic diseases (chronic heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, breast and colon cancers). According to the results, worldwide, coronary heart disease in %5.8 of cases, type 2 diabetes in %7.2, breast cancer in %10.1, colon cancer in %10.4, and all-cause mortality in %9.4 were attributable to physical inactivity.

Eliminating sedentary living is predicted to extend average life expectancy by 0.68 years. Our country is among those projected to gain the most life expectancy worldwide, at 1 year. Although this increase seems small, average life expectancy is calculated using the entire world population (both active and inactive people). If calculated only among inactive individuals, the increase would be greater, between 1.3-3.7 years. Compared with other risk factors, smoking and obesity , China ranks among the top 5 countries for smoking, and eliminating smoking there is expected to increase average life expectancy by 2.3-2.5 years; eliminating obesity in America is expected to increase it by 0.7-1.1 years.

Unfortunately, We Are Among the World’s Least Physically Active Countries

In our country, physical inactivity accounts for coronary heart disease in %9.3 of cases, type 2 diabetes in %11.3, breast cancer in %16.3, colon cancer in %16.6 and all-cause deaths in %15. These values place our country 3rd in Europe for inactivity-related diseases after Malta and Serbia.

How Long Should Exercise Last?

Most of the world’s population does not exercise enough. Our national figures exceed global averages, ranking 3rd in Europe, indicating high chronic disease risk and the substantial protection regular exercise can provide. As many studies state, even 15-30 minutes of brisk walking daily with sweating offers major health benefits. Small changes such as brisk walking can improve quality of life and reduce many disease risks, allowing us to live longer.