Study finds how much exercise middle-aged women need to halve their risk of death

How much exercise should women in midlife be doing to live longer?

An Australian study sought to answer this question, and found that midlife women who consistently did 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each week could approximately halve their risk of death.

In the study, published on Friday in PLOS Medicine, researchers used data from more than 11,000 Australian women born between 1946 and 1951.

Between 1996 and 2019, they collected self-reported data on their physical activity nine times (about every three years).

This was compared with the World Health Organisation’s guidelines for at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week, which could include brisk walking, swimming, jogging or playing sport.

Lead author Dr Binh Nguyen, of the Prevention Research Collaboration within the University of Sydney’s School of Public Health, says the study is significant for its scope.

“Most previous studies have measured physical activity only at a single point, and these fail to capture how activity levels may change as we age,” she says.

They found the incidence of death was 5.3 per cent among women who consistently met guidelines versus 10.4 per cent among those who consistently did not.

However, Nguyen says they weren’t able to determine the exact age at which meeting recommendations had an effect (although getting active at any age still seems to make a difference).

While the magnitude of effect appeared similar or even stronger for cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality, data was inconclusive.

Anne Tiedemann, professor of physical activity and health at Sydney’s School of Public Health, who was not involved in the study, says that while physical guidelines can be an important benchmark, they are not the be-all and end-all – particularly given the stressors women in midlife face.

“Even small amounts of physical activity has benefits,” she says, noting the emphasis should be on encouraging activity, even if it only meets the minimum requirements. “Otherwise we run the risk of people just giving up if they can’t meet that.”

Nguyen says there are limitations to their findings, given they relied on self-reported data, compared with data based on wearable trackers, which are more accurate.

Tiedemann acknowledges these limitations but says they shouldn’t detract from the message.

“The science is important, but we have so much evidence about the benefits of physical activity,” she says.

Nguyen says they are an important reminder for middle-aged women to exercise, especially given 42.9 per cent of women aged 45 to 54 did not meet the weekly requirements of moderate-to-vigorous exercise, according to 2022 self-reported data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

“It doesn’t have to be too complicated – it can be just brisk walking, it can be some social tennis, cycling,” she says.

Tiedemann stresses the focus should also be on the benefits of exercise for health span, not just lifespan.

“We know that being more active helps us get through the day, manage our stress, feel happy and promotes social connection,” she says.

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