Harder Exercise, Not Just Longer May Reduce Risk for Chronic Disease

TUESDAY, April 7, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- A higher proportion of vigorous physical activity (VPA) may reduce the risk for eight diseases, according to a study published online March 29 in the European Heart Journal.Jiehua Wei, from Central South University in Changsha, China, and colleagues examined associations between the proportion of VPA relative to total volume of PA and the incidence of multiple chronic disease outcomes. The analysis included 96,408 participants (mean age, 61.9 years) with wrist-worn accelerometer data and 375,730 participants (mean age, 56.2 years) with self-reported PA data.The researchers found that for the device-measured data, there was a nonlinear, inverse, dose–response relationship between the proportion of VPA and all outcomes. These patterns persisted across strata of total PA volume. When adjusting for total PA volume, participants with >4 percent VPA had 29 to 61 percent lower risks for eight chronic disease outcomes versus those with 0 percent VPA. There were distinct disease-specific patterns, with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases showing very strong intensity dependence with minimal contribution from PA volume (20.3 percent for intensity versus 1.0 percent for volume). For major adverse cardiovascular events (17.8 versus 6.0 percent), atrial fibrillation (16.2 versus 5.0 percent), chronic respiratory disease (21.4 versus 5.6 percent), and dementia (32.3 versus 8.1 percent), there was intensity predominance with modest contribution from PA volume. More balanced contributions for intensity and volume were seen with type 2 diabetes, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, chronic kidney disease, and all-cause mortality."Our findings suggest that the composition of that activity matters, and matters differently depending on which diseases you're trying to prevent," coauthor Minxue Shen, also from Central South University, said in a statement. "This could open the door to more personalized physical activity recommendations based on an individual's specific health risks."One author disclosed ties to a company whose products relate to physical activity for the prevention of chronic disease.Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Harder Exercise, Not Just Longer May Reduce Risk for Chronic Disease

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