Long-Term Physical Inactivity Linked to Higher Stress in Midlife

FRIDAY, Jan. 30, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Lower-than-recommended and decreasing leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) levels through adulthood are associated with chronic stress, according to a study published in the February issue of Psychoneuroendocrinology.Maija Korpisaari, from the Oulu Deaconess Institute Foundation in Finland, and colleagues examined the association between LTPA and chronic stress, quantified as allostatic load at midlife, among members of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 who participated in follow-ups at 31 and 46 years of age (3,358 participants). Participants were classified into stable inactive, increased, decreased, and stable active groups based on changes in LTPA from 31 to 46 years of age. Two separate allostatic load indices were used -- a 13-item index and a five-item index -- based on biological markers collected in clinical examinations at age 46 years.The researchers found that participants with stable inactivity or decreasing LTPA from early adulthood to midlife had a higher risk for allostatic load with the 13-item index compared with those with stable active LTPA (rate ratios, 1.18 and 1.10, respectively). Only stable inactivity was significantly associated with allostatic load with the five-item allostatic load index (risk ratio, 1.17). With the 13-item index and the five-item index, increased LTPA did not significantly differ from stable activity in terms of risk of allostatic load."The results suggest that the importance of physical activity is not limited to individual life stages; rather, regular exercise throughout adulthood may protect the body from the harmful effects of long-term stress," Korpisaari said in a statement.Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Long-Term Physical Inactivity Linked to Higher Stress in Midlife

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