Measured by accelerometer, activity at any intensity is linked to lower mortality
Does light activity count for longevity?
The finding
By quarter of total activity, hazard ratios were 1.00, 0.48, 0.34 and 0.27: the most active quarter had about a quarter of the risk of the least active.
- Authors
- Ekelund U, Tarp J, Steene-Johannessen J, et al.
- Published
- BMJ 366:l4570 · 2019
- Evidence
- Read in the primary source; numbers checked.
- Source
- doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l4570
How it was studied
Harmonised meta-analysis of 8 studies: 36,383 people, mean age 62.6, median follow-up 5.8 years, 2,149 deaths.
The numbers
Light activity alone: 1.00, 0.60, 0.44, 0.38. Moderate-to-vigorous: 1.00, 0.64, 0.55, 0.52. The quarter with the most sedentary time had a hazard ratio of 2.63.
What it does not show
Short follow-up in older adults, so reverse causation (people who are ill move less) is likely.
What Longstanding does with it
The app reads workouts, not all-day movement. This study is a reminder that the zone 2 share is not the whole picture.