A recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine has revealed that meeting the recommended guidelines for physical activity can significantly reduce the risk of death from influenza and pneumonia. The study found that individuals who meet the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, which recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic physical activity and two or more days of moderate muscle-strengthening activities per week, can reduce their risk of dying from flu and pneumonia by 48%.
The study analyzed survey data from over 570,000 people in the US National Health Interview Survey between 1998 and 2018. Participants were categorized into groups based on their physical activity habits and monitored for an average of nine years. The study found that meeting both recommendations for aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity was associated with a nearly 50% reduction in the risk of death from flu or pneumonia. Meeting just the aerobic activity target was associated with a 36% lower risk.
Influenza and pneumonia are leading causes of death globally, making these findings significant. The lead author of the study, Dr. Bryant Webber, an epidemiologist in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, emphasized the importance of physical activity in protecting against influenza and pneumonia death, alongside vaccination.
The benefits of physical activity may extend to other conditions, including COVID-19. Dr. Robert Sallis, director of the sports medicine fellowship at Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center, and clinical professor of family medicine at Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine in California, noted that regular exercise has been shown to dramatically lower the risk of COVID-19 related death.
The study also found that any level of aerobic physical activity, even at amounts below the recommended level, lowered the risk of influenza and pneumonia death, compared to doing no aerobic activity. Getting 10 to 149 minutes a week of aerobic physical activity was associated with a 21% decreased risk of flu and pneumonia death.
The study's overarching advice is to "move more and sit less," regardless of age or perceived physical fitness level. The study suggests that any activity is better than none. However, no additional benefit was seen for people who got more than 600 minutes a week of aerobic activity.
In terms of muscle strengthening, the study showed that meeting the target of two or more sessions lowered the mortality risk significantly. Still, getting seven or more sessions was associated with a 41% increased risk of death by flu or pneumonia.
While the study has limitations, being an observational study, the researchers often rely on these studies when it is impossible to randomize people into different lifestyles. Aerobic activity doesn't have to mean getting yourself to the gym regularly. Any activity that gets your heart rate and sweat glands going, including speed walking, swimming, biking, running, or stair climbing, can count as aerobic activity. Exercises such as lifting weights, squats, lunges, or heavy gardening can count as muscle-strengthening activity.
In conclusion, the study highlights the importance of physical activity for overall health and wellbeing, including reducing the risk of death from influenza and pneumonia. The study's findings suggest that any level of physical activity is better than none and that meeting the recommended guidelines can significantly reduce the risk of death from these conditions.