Do not do worse for your health than smoking, diabetes and heart disease

Research has shown that being fit can prolong life and that a sedentary lifestyle is even more deadly than some diseases.

According to a study published in the JAMA Network Open, not doing exercise is more harmful to human health than smoking, diabetes or heart disease.

Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic studied 122,007 patients between January 1, 1991 and December 31, 2014, submitting them to treadmill tests and subsequently recording mortality rates.

Their findings indicate that cardiorespiratory fitness is related to a longer life span and that there is no limit to the benefits of exercise. It is feared that those who are hyperactive or exercise excessively are at greater risk of death, but research has revealed that this is not the case.

Compared to the best athletes, the risk of death of sedentary people is 500% higher.

The study concludes that a sedentary lifestyle equates to a serious illness. (Next animation via Reuters)