The risk of dying was about 30% lower

need?

US and global guidelines call for 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week, ideally spread out so you get some on most days.

That’s based on many previous studies suggesting a host of benefits beyond the risk of premature death this study measured.

How the study was done Researchers at Loughborough University in England used surveys by trained interviewers on nearly 64 000 adults in England and Scotland from 1994 to 2008. By last year, 8 802 had died.

Results The risk of dying was about 30% lower in weekend warriors and insufficient exercisers versus those who were inactive.

Regular exercisers lowered their risk a little more by 35%.

Any amount of activity helped cut the risk of dying of heart disease by about 40% compared to being a couch potato.

Does this mean the guidelines are bunk?

No, independent experts say. Exercise has many other benefits such as helping to prevent dementia, depression, high blood pressure, unhealthy sleep patterns and diabetes.

Some of these effects are shortlived, so exercising more often gives more of them, Arem said.

“I don’t know that we’re ready to say based on this study, that people shouldn’t try to exercise more than that if they can,” said Dr Daniel Rader, preventive cardiology chief at the University of Pennsylvania. “People who exercise more regularly report that they feel like they have a better quality of life.”

Still the results are “quite fascinating and a bit surprising” on the “dose” of exercise needed for benefit, Rader said.

“Even if you only have time to do something once a week, this study would suggest it’s still worth doing.”

Caveats to the study Exercise was only assessed at the start of the study and could have changed over time.

The biggest limitation is that observational studies like this can only suggest exercise and health risks may be related; they cannot prove the point. – AP