How much exercise do I actually need to live longer?

Appears under: Living longer in good health · Sleep, energy and the brain · Weight loss and GLP-1 · Menopause and hormones

The studies

• 5 Repeated evidence Dose-response associations between accelerometry measured physical activity and sedentary time and all cause mortality: systematic review and harmonised meta-analysis.
  2019 · BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 36 participants
• 5 Repeated evidence Physical Activity in Cancer Prevention and Survival: A Systematic Review.
  2019 · Medicine and science in sports and exercise
• 5 Repeated evidence Associations of occupational and leisure-time physical activity with all-cause mortality: an individual participant data meta-analysis.
  2025 · British journal of sports medicine · 497 participants
• 5 Repeated evidence The effects of physical activity on cortisol and sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
  2022 · Psychoneuroendocrinology
• 5 Repeated evidence Effective behaviour change techniques for physical activity and healthy eating in overweight and obese adults; systematic review and meta-regression analyses.
  2017 · The international journal of behavioral nutrition and p · 48 participants
• 5 Repeated evidence Impact of exercise training on physical and cognitive function among older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
  2020 · Neurobiology of aging · 48 participants
• 5 Repeated evidence Effects of Exercise Training Interventions on Executive Function in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
  2021 · Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)
• 5 Repeated evidence Physical activity and healthy ageing: A systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal cohort studies.
  2018 · Ageing research reviews · 174,114 participants
• 5 Repeated evidence Association between Bout Duration of Physical Activity and Health: Systematic Review.
  2019 · Medicine and science in sports and exercise · 4,840 participants
• 5 Repeated evidence Information Technology and Lifestyle: A Systematic Evaluation of Internet and Mobile Interventions for Improving Diet, Physical Activity, Obesity, Tobacco, and Alcohol Use.
  2018 · Journal of the American Heart Association · 47 participants
• 5 Repeated evidence The effectiveness of e-& mHealth interventions to promote physical activity and healthy diets in developing countries: A systematic review.
  2017 · The international journal of behavioral nutrition and p
• 5 Repeated evidence Barriers and Facilitators to Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Postpartum: A Qualitative Systematic Review.
  2022 · Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
• 5 Repeated evidence Improving implementation of school-based healthy eating and physical activity policies, practices, and programs: a systematic review.
  2021 · Translational behavioral medicine · 16 participants
• 5 Repeated evidence Effects of Moderate- to High-Impact Exercise Training on Bone Structure Across the Lifespan: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
  2023 · Journal of bone and mineral research : the official jou · 2,985 participants
• 5 Repeated evidence Sex Differences in Physical Activity Among Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes Across the Life Span: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
  2022 · Diabetes care · 65,344 participants
• 5 Repeated evidence The Influence of Serious Games in the Promotion of Healthy Diet and Physical Activity Health: A Systematic Review.
  2023 · Nutrients
• 5 Repeated evidence Effect of interventions using physical activity trackers on physical activity in people aged 60 years and over: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
  2020 · British journal of sports medicine
• 5 Repeated evidence Effects of exercise motivations on body image and eating habits/behaviours: A systematic review.
  2020 · Nutrition & dietetics : the journal of the Dietitians A
• 5 Repeated evidence Physical activity and the risk of sudden cardiac death: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies.
  2021 · BMC cardiovascular disorders · 136,298 participants
• 5 Repeated evidence Physical Activity and Age-related Macular Degeneration: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-analysis.
  2017 · American journal of ophthalmology · 38 participants
• 5 Repeated evidence Frameworks for implementation of policies promoting healthy nutrition and physically active lifestyle: systematic review.
  2022 · The international journal of behavioral nutrition and p
• 5 Repeated evidence Do Natural Experiments of Changes in Neighborhood Built Environment Impact Physical Activity and Diet? A Systematic Review.
  2018 · International journal of environmental research and pub · 5 participants
• 5 Repeated evidence A systematic review of physical activity and nutritional interventions for the management of normal weight and overweight obesity.
  2024 · Nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular diseases : NM · manufacturer helped fund this
• 5 Repeated evidence One small step for man, one giant leap for men's health: a meta-analysis of behaviour change interventions to increase men's physical activity.
  2020 · British journal of sports medicine
• 5 Repeated evidence Effects of Physical Activity Governmental Programs on Health Status in Independent Older Adults: A Systematic Review.
  2019 · Journal of aging and physical activity · 2,545 participants
• 5 Repeated evidence The role of illness perception in the physical activity domain of health-promoting lifestyle among patients with non-communicable diseases: A systematic review.
  2024 · PloS one
• 5 Repeated evidence Physical activity volume in relation to risk of atrial fibrillation. A non-linear meta-regression analysis.
  2019 · European journal of preventive cardiology
• 5 Repeated evidence Effects of exercise training and dietary supplement on fat free mass and bone mass density during weight loss - a systematic review and meta-analysis.
  2022 · F1000Research
• 5 Repeated evidence Delayed effect of different exercise modalities on glycaemic control in type 1 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
  2021 · Nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular diseases : NM
• 5 Repeated evidence Opportunities in the Extended Day: Approaches for Promoting Physical Activity and Healthy Eating During Out-of-School Time.
  2023 · The Journal of school health · 71 participants
• 5 Repeated evidence Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Interventions in Faith-Based Settings: A Systematic Review Using the Reach, Effectiveness/Efficacy, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance Framework.
  2021 · American journal of preventive medicine
• 5 Repeated evidence Dietary and Physical Activity Behaviours in African Migrant Women Living in High Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Framework Synthesis.
  2018 · Nutrients
• 5 Repeated evidence Examining adherence to activity monitoring devices to improve physical activity in adults with cardiovascular disease: A systematic review.
  2020 · European journal of preventive cardiology
• 5 Repeated evidence The Efficacy of Workplace Interventions on Improving the Dietary, Physical Activity and Sleep Behaviours of School and Childcare Staff: A Systematic Review.
  2020 · International journal of environmental research and pub
• 5 Repeated evidence Physically active individuals have a 23% lower risk of any colorectal neoplasia and a 27% lower risk of advanced colorectal neoplasia than their non-active counterparts: systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.
  2020 · British journal of sports medicine · 23 participants
• 4 Large controlled trial Effect of exercise training for five years on all cause mortality in older adults-the Generation 100 study: randomised controlled trial.
  2020 · BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 1,567 participants
• 5 Repeated evidence Evaluation of Worksite Wellness Nutrition and Physical Activity Programs and Their Subsequent Impact on Participants' Body Composition.
  2019 · Journal of obesity
• 5 Repeated evidence Physical activity correlates across the lifespan in people with epilepsy: a systematic review.
  2021 · Disability and rehabilitation · 495 participants
• 5 Repeated evidence Health and Physical Activity Outcomes in Age-Friendly Cities and Communities: A Systematic Review of Emerging Evidence and a Future Research Agenda.
  2026 · Australasian journal on ageing
• 5 Repeated evidence Comparative Efficacy of Different Aquatic Exercise Modalities on Cognitive Function in The Elderly: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.
  2026 · Journal of sports science & medicine · 324 participants
• 5 Repeated evidence Exercise-Induced Epigenetic Modifications: Implications for Healthy Aging.
  2026 · International journal of sports medicine
• 5 Repeated evidence Environmental interventions to promote healthier eating and physical activity behaviours in institutions: a systematic review.
  2020 · Public health nutrition
• 5 Repeated evidence Maintaining changes in physical activity among type 2 diabetics - A systematic review of rehabilitation interventions.
  2021 · Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports
• 5 Repeated evidence Electronic screening and brief interventions promoting healthy diet and physical activity among adult patients in medical settings: A systematic review.
  2024 · Clinical nutrition ESPEN · 11 participants
• 5 Repeated evidence Lutein Intake and Blood Lutein Concentration Are Positively Associated with Physical Activity in Adults: A Systematic Review.
  2018 · Nutrients · manufacturer helped fund this
• 4 Large controlled trial Prospective association of physical activity and inflammatory biomarkers in older adults from the PREDIMED-Plus study with overweight or obesity and metabolic syndrome.
  2021 · Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland) · 489 participants
• 4 Large controlled trial Gamifying Accelerometer Use Increases Physical Activity Levels of Sedentary Office Workers.
  2019 · Journal of the American Heart Association · 146 participants
• 4 Large controlled trial Effectiveness of the Healthy Start-Départ Santé approach on physical activity, healthy eating and fundamental movement skills of preschoolers attending childcare centres: a randomized controlled trial.
  2020 · BMC public health · 464 participants
• 4 Large controlled trial Social cognitive theory-based intervention to promote physical activity among prediabetic rural people: a cluster randomized controlled trial.
  2019 · Trials · 272 participants
• 4 Large controlled trial Multiple health behaviour change primary care intervention for smoking cessation, physical activity and healthy diet in adults 45 to 75 years old (EIRA study): a hybrid effectiveness-implementation cluster randomised trial.
  2022 · BMC public health · 3,062 participants
• 4 Large controlled trial Effects of Dietary Self-Monitoring, Physical Activity, Liraglutide 3.0 mg, and Placebo on Weight Loss in the SCALE IBT Trial.
  2021 · Obesity facts · 142 participants · manufacturer helped fund this
• 4 Large controlled trial Wearable-Measured Physical Activity Goal Adherence and Body Composition Change in a 12-Month mHealth Weight Loss Trial.
  2026 · Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 502 participants
• 3 Small study in people Effects of Resistance Exercise Training on Cognitive Function and Physical Performance in Cognitive Frailty: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
  2019 · The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 30 participants
• 3 Small study in people Effects of exercise training on sleep quality and heart rate variability in middle-aged and older adults with poor sleep quality: a randomized controlled trial.
  2021 · Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official pu
• 3 Small study in people Women's views about physical activity as a treatment for vasomotor menopausal symptoms: a qualitative study.
  2021 · BMC women's health