Stronger muscles may pump up your life expectancy
Sendai, Japan — Thirty minutes of weight training a week can help prolong your life, results of a recent study out of Japan suggest.
Researchers from the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine reviewed 16 studies conducted in the United States, Japan and three other countries. They found that participants who engaged in 30-60 minutes of strengthening exercises a week had a 10%-20% lower risk of dying from cancer, heart disease and diabetes. When the participants added in aerobic exercise, they exhibited a 40% lower risk of all-cause mortality.
The World Health Organization recommends at least two days a week of muscle-strengthening activities for adults.
The study was published online Feb. 28 by the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
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