Aerobic exercise linked to significantly lower risk of flu or pneumonia death: Study

Regular aerobic exercise, popularly known as "cardio," is linked to a significantly lower risk of death from flu or pneumonia, even at weekly levels below those recommended, finds US research published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The researchers drew on the responses of 577,909 adults who had taken part in the US nationally representative National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) between 1998 and 2018.

Respondents were asked how often they spent 10 or more minutes in vigorous intensity and light or moderate intensity aerobic activities. And they were asked how often they did muscle strengthening activities. Each person was then categorised according to how well they met recommended aerobic activity + muscle strengthening weekly targets: not meeting either; meeting the aerobic activity target; meeting the muscle-strengthening target; and meeting both targets. Those who met both recommended weekly physical activity targets had nearly half (48%) the risk of dying from flu or pneumonia as their peers who met neither, after accounting for potentially influential factors.

Meeting only the aerobic activity target was associated with a 36% lower risk, after accounting for potentially influential factors, while meeting only the muscle strengthening target wasn’t associated with any significant difference in risk. In terms of quantity, clocking up 10-149, 150-300, and 301-600 mins/week of aerobic physical activity was associated with, respectively, 21%, 41%, and 50% lower risks, compared with none. But no additional benefit was seen above 600 weekly minutes.

When it came to muscle strengthening activities, compared with fewer than 2 weekly sessions, meeting the weekly target of 2 was associated with a 47% lower risk, but 7 or more sessions were associated with a 41% higher risk.

Reference:

Leisure- time physical activity and mortality from influenza and pneumonia: a cohort study of 577 909 US adults,British Journal of Sports Medicine, DOI 10.1136/bjsports-2022-106644