Doing exercise can be more deadly than smoking, says study

How important is physical activity if you want to live a healthy life, Long life? New research shows that not exercising or exercising is as serious as many other known risk factors associated with death, including: high blood pressure, Diabetes, cholesterol, heart disease and smoking – and in some cases, not doing exercise seems to be even worse.

This is a finding that surprises Dr. Wael Jaber, MD, a Cleveland Clinic cardiologist and lead author of the study, "because the focus has always been on reducing these risks to improve mortality. But we found that the biggest risk is right under our nose: being physically less fit, "he told CBS News.

For this study, researchers analyzed data from over 122,000 patients who underwent training carpet testing at the Cleveland Clinic from 1991 to 2014.

The results showed that not only exercise associated with a reduced risk of death, but that more exercise produced more benefits. In fact, the highest levels of aerobic fitness were associated with the greatest survival benefits, especially in patients 70 years of age and older.

"We thought that results would be beneficial for certain groups or subsets of patients," said Jaber. "What we had was a generalized advantage for every age group, both sexes, and in individuals with and without cardiac disease. "

This discovery contradicts several other recent studies that have shown associations between extreme exercise and certain heart conditions, including atrial fibrillation and coronary artery disease.

However, the Cleveland Clinic study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Network Open Association, found that the extremely fit patients participating in the study lived the longest.

All subjects in the study had previously undergone resistance testing at the Cleveland Clinic and were divided into five performance groups: elite, high, above average, below average, and low. Elite artists have been defined as having an aerobic fitness in the top 2.5% by age and gender. They demonstrated fitness levels comparable to those of endurance athletes.

In the group of participants over the age of 70, the mortality risk was reduced by almost 30% compared to the highest performing participants.

Dr. Satjit Bhusri, a cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, said the study was "awesome".

"Its size, results and future impact on preventable heart disease are huge," he told CBS News. "We are made and supposed to walk, run, exercise, move. In doing so, we regenerate new fresh cells, clean toxins and rebuild broken parts. "

Jaber said the study opens up many potential opportunities to deal with a sedentary lifestyle like a disease. This can be done by "encouraging activities through health insurance incentives, urban and urban planning, as well as providing a specific exercise prescription to our patients instead." than through generic programs ". 10K steps per dayHe said, "It seems like the basic minimum is 10,000 steps, but more is almost always better."

The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise a week, or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity.

The authors of the study note that their research has analyzed the results on a large population and that each patient should always consult his physician before starting an exercise program.