For those who are 40 years and older, a large prospective British study has found that adding an extra 20 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous cardio exercise each day lowers the odds of being hospitalized over a seven year period for any of the following conditions and more; gallbladder disease, urinary tract infections (UTI), blood clots, stroke, diabetes complications, pneumonia, iron-deficiency anemia, colon polyps and diverticular disease (where small "pouches" form in the wall of the colon).
If you're over 40, regular exercise may not only keep you fit -- it might keep you out of the hospital, too, a large new study suggests.
Researchers found that among nearly 82,000 British adults, those who regularly exercised were less likely to be hospitalized for various health conditions in the coming years. The list included such common ills as pneumonia, stroke, diabetes complications and severe urinary tract infections.
The findings suggest that if middle-aged and older people added just 20 minutes of exercise to their daily routine, they could cut the risk of those hospitalizations by anywhere from 4% to 23% over seven years.
Experts said the study expands on what people typically see as the benefits of exercise -- like a trimmer body, improved fitness and healthier heart.
"It could also help keep you out of the hospital. And that matters to people," said Peter Katzmarzyk, a professor at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La.
Katzmarzyk, who was not involved in the study, said it aligns with what's generally recommended to Americans to improve their health: Get at least 150 minutes of moderate "cardio" exercise, or 75 minutes at a vigorous intensity, each week. That means exercise that gets the heart pumping and works up a sweat: Moderate-intensity includes things like brisk walking, biking on level ground or yard work. Running, biking on hills or swimming laps count as vigorous intensity.
The findings, published Feb. 16 in JAMA Network Open, are based on data from a large ongoing research project called the UK Biobank.
Reference:
Watts, E.L., Saint-Maurice, P.F., Doherty, A, et al. Association of Accelerometer-Measured Physical Activity Level With Risks of Hospitalization for 25 Common Health Conditions in UK Adults. JAMA Netw Open. 2023; 6(2):e2256186. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.56186
Published: February 21, 2023
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