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A recent study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association has revealed that condensing a week’s worth of exercise into one or two days, often referred to as the “weekend warrior” pattern, can provide similar longevity benefits to spreading physical activity evenly throughout the week.
Researchers analyzed data from over 93,000 participants in the UK Biobank, with an average age of 62.4 years, over a median follow-up period of 8.1 years. They categorized participants into three groups based on their physical activity patterns: weekend warriors (those who completed at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in one or two days), active regulars (those who spread 150 minutes of MVPA over three or more days), and inactive individuals (those who did not meet the 150-minute MVPA recommendation).
The study found that both the weekend warrior and active regular groups experienced significantly lower risks of all-cause mortality, cancer mortality, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality compared to the inactive group.
Specifically, the hazard ratios (HRs) for all-cause mortality were 0.68 for the weekend warrior group and 0.74 for the active regular group. For cancer mortality, the HRs were 0.79 for the weekend warrior group and 0.87 for the active regular group. For CVD mortality, the HRs were 0.69 for the weekend warrior group and 0.76 for the active regular group. While the weekend warrior group showed slightly lower hazard ratios, these differences were not statistically significant.
“Our findings are particularly significant for individuals who find it challenging to engage in regular PA due to time constraints,” the researchers stated.
The study used wrist-worn accelerometers to measure participants’ physical activity and adjusted for potential confounding factors, including age, sex, BMI, race/ethnicity, education, smoking status, and dietary patterns.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week. This study provides evidence that achieving this goal, even within a compressed timeframe, can lead to substantial health benefits.
Disclaimer: This news article is based on the provided study information and should not be taken as medical advice. Individuals should consult with their healthcare providers before making changes to their exercise routines. While the study found similar benefits between weekend warrior and regular exercise patterns, individual results may vary.
