Strength training exercise a vital part chronic disease prevention

Adults who do both aerobic and muscle strengthening exercises are less likely to develop a raft of chronic diseases, researchers have found.

University of Queensland-led research followed more than 8,000 Brisbane adults over 9 years, examining the association between aerobic physical activity, muscle-strengthening activities, and the development of chronic conditions.

Behavioural epidemiologist Dr Gregore Mielke from UQ’s School of Public Health said muscle-strengthening activities appeared to provide significant health benefits beyond doing aerobic activity alone.

“People who consistently met the recommended guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities were less likely to develop type 2 diabetes and hypertension and may also have had a lower risk of heart disease and some cancers than those who met neither guideline,” Dr Mielke said.

“Of those who did both types of exercise, we found they had a 23 per cent reduction in cancer, a 24 per cent reduction in hypertension and a 50 per cent reduction in type 2 diabetes.”

Australian Government guidelines recommend moderate-to vigorous-intensity physical activities for 30 minutes or more on most days as well as muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days per week.

However, Dr Mielke said public health messaging generally focussed on aerobic activity.

“This research suggests public health initiatives should also place emphasis on encouraging adults to incorporate strength-based activities into their weekly routines to support healthy ageing,” he said.

Study participants were aged 40-64 years and completed 5 surveys between 2007 and 2016.

Research lead author, PhD candidate Anh Tung Pham, said about half of the participants met the recommended level of aerobic physical activity, while only 24 per cent met guidelines for both muscle-strengthening and aerobic physical activities.

About 30 per cent of people met neither exercise guideline.

“The results are quite significant and highlight the need to promote both aerobic and muscle strength activities to mid-aged adults,” Mr Pham said.

“This provides evidence to stress the value of this combined approach for chronic disease prevention.”

Data from Australia’s 2022 National Health Survey shows approximately 60 per cent of adults aged 45-64 years have at least one chronic disease and 30 per cent have multiple chronic diseases.

Muscle-strengthening activities include lifting weights, using resistance bands, or body-weight exercises such as sit-ups, push-ups, squats and lunges.

Read the research in Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport.

Collaboration and acknowledgements

The research was conducted in collaboration with Bond University and Griffith University.