It has long been clear that sport improves longevity.

According to a study, regular exercise can reduce the risk of dying from common diseases in adulthood by 30 to 40 percent. Even those who exercise less than officially recommended but increase their activity have a 20 to 25 percent lower risk of death. The study was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Specifically, the researchers examined how exercise reduced the risk of death from various causes. For the review analysis, the team ultimately evaluated 85 studies that examined physical activity at two or more time points. The researchers classified the extent to which people in the respective studies exercised into categories such as "continuously active" or "continuously inactive."

The authors, led by Ruyi Yu and Gregore Mielke from the School of Public Health at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, conclude that switching to a more active lifestyle at any point in adult life can extend lifespan and it is never too late to start.

According to the researchers, the risk for people who switched from an inactive lifestyle to regular activity decreased by around 22 percent compared to those who remained inactive.

The World Health Organization (WHO) currently recommends the following weekly physical activity for adults:

• 150 to 300 minutes of moderate intensity
• 75 to 150 minutes of high intensity
• a combination of both

The positive effects of physical activity on the risk of death were significantly higher for cardiovascular diseases – the most common cause of death – than for cancer.

Regarding their findings, the researchers cautioned that most of the studies used were based on subjective assessments of physical activity, which may not always be accurate. Nevertheless, the results are of great importance for public health.