Over 40? Just 20 minutes of daily exercise can keep you from going to the hospital

By Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Feb. 20, 2023 (HealthDay News) — If you’re over 40, regular exercise can not only keep you fit, but also keep you out of hospital, according to a large new study.

Researchers found that among nearly 82,000 UK adults, those who exercised regularly were less likely to be hospitalized for various health conditions in future years. The list included common illnesses such as pneumonia, strokes, diabetes complications and serious urinary tract infections.

The results suggest that if middle-aged and older people added just 20 minutes of exercise to their daily routine, they could reduce the risk of these hospitalizations by 4% to 23% over seven years.

Experts said the study expands on what people generally consider to be the benefits of exercise, such as a leaner body, better physical shape and healthier heart.

“It could also help you stay away from the hospital. And that matters to people,” said Pierre Katzmarzykprofessor at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La.

Katzmarzyk, who wasn’t involved in the study, said it’s consistent with what Americans are generally recommended to improve their health: do at least 150 minutes of moderate “cardio” exercise, or 75 minutes at an intensity vigorously, every week. This means heart-pounding, sweat-inducing exercise: moderate intensity includes things like brisk walking, cycling on level ground, or doing yard work. Running, cycling up hills, or swimming laps count as vigorous intensity.

The results, published on February 16 in Open JAMA Networkare based on data from a large ongoing research project called UK Biobank.

The researchers focused on nearly 82,000 participants between the ages of 42 and 78 who spent a week wearing wrist monitors that recorded their physical activity. They looked at the relationship between these activity levels and participants’ chances of being hospitalized in future years.

After about seven years, more than 48,000 study participants ended up in hospital, for a host of reasons. For nine of these health conditions, however, people who were more physically active had lower risks.

The big nine were gallbladder disease, urinary tract infections, blood clots, strokes, diabetes complications, pneumonia, iron deficiency anemia, colon polyps, and diverticular disease (where small ” pockets” form in the wall of the colon).

Findings don’t prove physical activity, by itself, was responsible, lead researcher said Eleanor Watts from the US National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Maryland.

For one, people who are younger, or healthier, or have higher incomes and more resources may be more likely to exercise — and less likely to land in hospital.

But, Watts said, when his team took these differences into account, physical activity was still linked to a protective effect.

Plus, she noted, exercise is known to have many benefits that could help prevent those hospitalizations.

“Studies show that physical activity can improve immune function, lung and heart health, insulin sensitivity, and reduce inflammation,” Watts said. “Physical activity can also reduce body fat, high blood pressure and cholesterol.”

Researchers estimate that it only takes an extra 20 minutes of moderate to vigorous cardio each day to reduce the risk of hospitalization for the nine conditions identified by the study. This ranged from a 4% drop in the risk of hospitalization for colon polyps to a 23% drop in the chance of landing in hospital due to diabetes.

Dr. Chip Lavie is Medical Director of Cardiac Rehabilitation and Prevention at the John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute in New Orleans.

“Moderate to vigorous” is a pretty wide range, and Lavie said daily jogging can provide greater benefits than walking your dog. Additionally, the amount of exercise a person needs varies depending on the ultimate goal: If you want to lose weight, he noted, the more calories you burn, the better.

But the main message, Lavie said, is that “almost any physical activity is better than inactivity.”

That’s good news, experts say, for people of all ages and fitness levels: you don’t have to start a running routine to improve your health.

And even if you’ve been sedentary for years, Watts said, it’s never “too late” to move on.

SOURCES: Eleanor Watts, DPhil, MPH, postdoctoral fellow, Metabolic Epidemiology Branch, US National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Md; Carl “Chip” Lavie, MD, Medical Director, Cardiac Rehabilitation and Prevention, and Director, Exercise Laboratories, John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute, Ochsner Clinical School-The University of Queensland School of Medicine, New Orleans; Peter Katzmarzyk, PhD, Professor, Physical Activity and Obesity Epidemiology, Associate Executive Director, Population and Public Health Sciences, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge; Open JAMA Network, February 16, 2023, online

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