Muscle-strengthening is associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality and major non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and lung cancer, found a systematic review and meta-analysis in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Combined with any amount of aerobic activity, 30-60 minutes of strengthening exercises showed a 40% lower risk of premature death, a 46% lower incidence of heart disease and a 28% lower chance of dying from cancer.
The published research analysed 16 previous studies that pulled data from about 480,000 participants, ages 18 to 98, most of whom lived in the US. Results were calculated from the participants’ self-reported activity.
“Many previous studies showed a favourable influence of muscle-strengthening exercises on non-communicable diseases and early death risk,” said the study’s first author Haruki Momma, a lecturer in the department of medicine and science in sports and exercise at Tohoku University in Japan. “We could expect our findings to some extent because this study was planned to integrate previous findings.”
Study details
Muscle-strengthening activities are associated with lower risk and mortality in major non-communicable diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies
Published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine on 7 March 2022
Haruki Momma, Ryoko Kawakami, Takanori Honda, Susumu S Sawada.
Abstract
Objective
To quantify the associations between muscle-strengthening activities and the risk of non-communicable diseases and mortality in adults independent of aerobic activities.
Design
Systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.
Eligibility criteria for selecting studies
Prospective cohort studies that examined the association between muscle-strengthening activities and health outcomes in adults aged ≥18 years without severe health conditions.
Results
Sixteen studies met the eligibility criteria. Muscle-strengthening activities were associated with a 10–17% lower risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease (CVD), total cancer, diabetes and lung cancer. No association was found between muscle-strengthening activities and the risk of some site-specific cancers (colon, kidney, bladder and pancreatic cancers). J-shaped associations with the maximum risk reduction (approximately 10–20%) at approximately 30–60 min/week of muscle-strengthening activities were found for all-cause mortality, CVD and total cancer, whereas an L-shaped association showing a large risk reduction at up to 60 min/week of muscle-strengthening activities was observed for diabetes. Combined muscle-strengthening and aerobic activities (versus none) were associated with a lower risk of all-cause, CVD and total cancer mortality.
Conclusion
Muscle-strengthening activities were inversely associated with the risk of all-cause mortality and major non-communicable diseases including CVD, total cancer, diabetes and lung cancer; however, the influence of a higher volume of muscle-strengthening activities on all-cause mortality, CVD and total cancer is unclear when considering the observed J-shaped associations.
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