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PaperclipPerfector  4mo ago (text post)   2159 thread views

Wellness Wednesday for December 27, 2023

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New Swedish twin study just dropped[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10274991/

Maybe exercising doesn't matter all that much?

Results

We identified four classes of long-term LTPA: sedentary, moderately active, active and highly active. Although biological ageing was accelerated in sedentary and highly active classes, after adjusting for other lifestyle-related factors, the associations mainly attenuated. Physically active classes had a maximum 7% lower risk of total mortality over the sedentary class, but this association was consistent only in the short term and could largely be accounted for by familial factors. LTPA exhibited less favourable associations when prevalent diseases were exclusion criteria rather than covariate.

Conclusion

Being active may reflect a healthy phenotype instead of causally reducing mortality.

I both want this to be true (because it would be a relief, in a way) but also don't (because it means your mortality isn't really modifiable by exercise). Any good analyses/critiques available?

  1. On Jun 5th 2023. So not that new.

Being active may reflect a healthy phenotype instead of causally reducing mortality.

Not surprising. Munger and Kissinger lived to 100, neither were 'active'. No '10k steps/day' for either of them. Same for Warren Buffett: at 93 he plays bridge all day when not counting his money and still fully healthy. These wealthy sedentary guys live forever. My granddads died at 78 and 80; the sedentary one lived longer. I think it's almost all genes. That is not to say excercise doesn't help, it does to some degree when controlling for genes, but genes do most of the heavy lifting, and also just dumb luck like not getting in a car accident or murdered. Also, helps to avoid drugs , smoking, and alcohol .

Makes sense. Can't smoke, drink alcohol and do drugs if you're too busy exercising.

(Unless you start running with the Hash House Harriers)

I assure you that runners and cyclists are generally not a light-drinking group.

As per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hash_House_Harriers

The Hash is humorously known as A Drinking Club With A Running Problem, with the preferred beverage of consumption being beer.

But I just meant that if you gave the population 30-60 minutes of busywork a day, like exercise, that made it really hard to do self-destructive things like drugs, drinking or smoking at the same time, that might be a significant health gain even if there was no direct benefit from the exercise itself.

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