A new study suggests that adding weightlifting to aerobic exercise can further reduce the risk of all-cause mortality. The study finds that weightlifting is associated with an additional 9% decrease in the risk of all-cause mortality, while aerobic training alone reduces it by 32%. Weightlifting alone was also associated with a 15% reduced risk of cancer mortality.
While the findings show that aerobic training was associated with a 30% lower risk of cancer mortality when meeting guidelines levels, there was no overall additional benefit for weightlifting. According to experts, it’s never too late to get started with weight training to receive the benefits, and positive effects may be seen with even modest amounts.A new study explored the benefits of two types of exercise on all-cause mortality: aerobic exercise and lifting weights.
For the study, researchers defined aerobic exercise as moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and weightlifting as muscle-strengthening exercise (MSE). There isn’t much available research on MSE’s effect on mortality as there is on MVPA’s, so the study’s authors explored the effects of each on mortality separately and together. They also investigated the effects of both forms of exercise on cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer.
“Weightlifting and [aerobic exercise] were associated with a lower risk of all-cause and CVD mortality, but not cancer mortality. Adults who met recommended amounts of both types of exercise appeared to gain additional benefit,” the study authors wrote. The study was recently published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Studying the effects of weightlifting and cardio Researchers analyzed data from questionnaires filled out by 154,897 men and women ages 55 to 74 in the National Cancer Institute’s 1993 Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening TrialTrusted Source.
Following that, 99,713 of the participants described their weightlifting activity in a follow-up survey that did not capture what type of weightlifting was done but did ask about frequency in broad categories.
Next, the researchers summarized these categories into any weightlifting in the last 12 months or none. Those who performed muscle-strengthening exercises (MSE) reported lifting weights: less than once per month
1 to 3 times per month 1 to 2 times per week 3 to 7 times per week In 2006, the same group of participants described their weightlifting activity in a follow-up survey that did not capture whether the type of weightlifting or its frequency adhered to current recommended guidelines for strength training. Researchers continued to track their health — and mortality — until 2016.
