I have come across another study that has results that should be shouted out from every mountain top, yet you probably haven’t, and won’t, hear about.
If you visit the website WorldHealth.net you can find information from all over the world. The site claims to represent 26,000 physicians and scientists from 120 countries. (I expect all of them are smarter than me and try to learn from them as much as possible. Much of the content is over my head.)
A recent post on that website, Daily Exercise Lowers Death Risk, cites another study that shows how easy it is to lower our risk of dying in a very substantial way. The “Oslo Study I” and “Oslo Study II) included almost 15,000 men and ultimately showed that “30-minutes of physical activity, regardless of intensity, 6-days a week was associated with a 40% lower risk of death from any cause.” It is worth noting that this group was very limited. These were all men and all were born between 1923 and 1932.
This is fascinating on several levels, not the least of which is why would exercise reduce one’s risk of dying from car accidents, violent crime, poisoning and other things that seem pretty unrelated to exercise? I understand why exercise would reduce death by cardio vascular disease, depression and other health related issues that have shown to be benefited by exercise, but death was reduced by “any cause.”
This is not the first study that has shown that exercise would reduce death by “any cause”. Nor is it the first study that has shown that what would probably be considered a small amount of exercise has dramatic results. Let’s face it, 30-minutes a day is not much to invest in order to reduce your risk of dying by 40%.
Why don’t we hear about this study or similar studies that show how something as simple as walking can reduce our odds of dying? In my opinion, it’s because there is not much money to be gained by promoting these messages. Who stands to gain financially when you reduce your risk of dying by something as simple as going for a walk? No one comes to mind.
It is up to you to learn how to take care of yourself. Your life depends on it.