Lifting weight may help people live longer, study finds

Doing 90 minutes to two hours of weight training every week may help people live longer and reduce the risk of serious diseases, according to a new study published in BMJ Journals. The study found that regular strength training can lower the risk of early death, heart disease, stroke, and neurological diseases such as dementia.

In the study titled ‘Long-term resistance training with all-cause and cause-specific mortality: assessing dose-response and joint associations with aerobic physical activity’, researchers from Harvard University analysed data from more than 1,47,000 adults in the United States over a period of 30 years. 

People who performed between 90 and 120 minutes of strength training each week had a 13% lower risk of dying from any cause, the study stated. They also had a 19% lower risk of death from heart-related diseases and a 27% lower risk of death from neurological diseases, it noted. 

The study found that doing more than two hours of strength training each week did not provide additional benefits for living longer. 

Researchers described 90 to 120 minutes per week as the ‘sweet spot’ for improving health and reducing the risk of death.

Experts reportedly said the best results were seen when strength training was combined with aerobic exercises such as walking, jogging, cycling, or swimming. People who regularly did both types of exercise had an even lower risk of early death.

Strength training includes activities such as lifting weights, squats, lunges, push-ups, and resistance band exercises. Health experts say these activities help build muscle, strengthen bones, improve balance, and support mental health.