ArticleJournal of aging research2012
Does physical activity increase life expectancy? A review of the literature.
Article in Journal of aging research, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 95 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
95 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Analysis of the Additive Effects of Nutritional Strategies in Strength Training Interventions on Body Composition, Muscle Strength and Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal Women: A Systematic Review.Sports medicine - open · 2026Pooled it
- Exercise in Pregnancy and Risk of Postpartum Depression: A Randomised Controlled Trial.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2026Trial
- Analysis of combinatory effects of free weight resistance training and a high-protein diet on body composition and strength capacity in postmenopausal women - A 12-week randomized controlled trial.The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2024Trial
- The effect of short-term vitamin D on the antioxidant capacity following exhaustive aerobic exercise.African health sciences · 2023Trial
- Acceptability, usefulness, and satisfaction with a web-based video-tailored physical activity intervention: The TaylorActive randomized controlled trial.Journal of sport and health science · 2022Trial
- Lifestyle intervention using the psychoeducational approach is associated with greater cardiometabolic benefits and retention of individuals with worse health status.Archives of endocrinology and metabolismTrial
- Review
- Physiological and functional characterization for high-throughput optogenetic skeletal muscle exercise assays.Bioengineering & translational medicine · 2026Article
- Links Between Autophagy and Healthy Aging.Journal of molecular biology · 2026Review
- Article
- Dropout in supervised small-group exercise programs: a 7-year retrospective cohort study.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- The impact of exercise on protein levels in Drosophila melanogaster.Biology open · 2026Article
- Incorporating Insulin Resistance Biomarkers into Machine Learning Models Enhances Diagnostic Accuracy for Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease.Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity : targets and therapy · 2026Article
- Mitochondrial respiratory supercomplexes associated with longevity in mammals.Frontiers in aging · 2026Review
- Sarcopenia and sepsis fuel a self-perpetuating cycle of immunometabolism decline.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Exercise Participation and Rehabilitation in Cardiomyopathies: An Updated Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Determinants of physical activity levels and quality of life among older adults in Ghana: insights from cardiometabolic risk (CarMeR) study.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2025Article
- Exercise attenuates the hallmarks of aging: Novel perspectives.Journal of sport and health science · 2025Review
- Adapting health, economic and social policies to address population aging in China.Nature aging · 2025Review
- The Ability of Activity and Cognition in Old Mice to Predict Age of Death.Aging and disease · 2025Article
35 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Physical activity reduces many major mortality risk factors including arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2, dyslipidemia, coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer. All-cause mortality is decreased by about 30% to 35% in physically active as compared to inactive subjects. The purpose of this paper was to synthesize the literature on life expectancy in relation to physical activity. A systematic PubMed search on life expectancy in physically active and inactive individuals was performed. In addition, articles comparing life expectancy of athletes compared to that of nonathletes were reviewed. Results of 13 studies describing eight different cohorts suggest that regular physical activity is associated with an increase of life expectancy by 0.4 to 6.9 years. Eleven studies included confounding risk factors for mortality and revealed an increase in life expectancy by 0.4 to 4.2 years with regular physical activity. Eleven case control studies on life expectancy in former athletes revealed consistently greater life expectancy in aerobic endurance athletes but inconsistent results for other athletes. None of these studies considered confounding risk factors for mortality. In conclusion, while regular physical activity increases life expectancy, it remains unclear if high-intensity sports activities further increase life expectancy.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.