Study Suggests Fitness Matters More for Longevity Than Cutting Alcohol
We generally understand that drinking alcohol isn’t the healthiest choice if you’re looking to live longer. Research highlights that activities like strength training and enhancing your V02 max can contribute positively to lifespan. But if you had to pick just one focus—like saying farewell to bar nights or committing to gym sessions—which one would significantly boost your longevity?
A recent study aimed to explore this, and the findings might actually be a bit surprising, especially if you’re not quite ready to let go of drinking. While alcohol isn’t suddenly deemed healthy and fitness remains a crucial part of health, the connection between the two isn’t as straightforward as we used to think. Actually, depending on where you stand with your fitness, hitting the gym might benefit your longevity more than cutting down on alcohol.
Findings from the Study
The Trøndelag Health Study, or HUNT study, is one of the largest health studies ongoing—looking closely at the health and wellness of a significant population, exploring various lifestyle factors like diet and exercise over many years. It began in 1984 in Norway’s Trøndelag region, initially involving around 75,000 people.
Every ten years, researchers revisit to gather new data through biological samples, surveys, and interviews, adding more participants along the way. After four decades, the study has amassed data from over 100,000 individuals, forming the foundation for numerous independent research papers.
The latest study, released last month in the journal Sports Medicine, aimed to find how changes in fitness and alcohol use might impact mortality risk. Analyzing two rounds of HUNT data collected a decade apart, the researchers focused on around 25,000 healthy adults, categorizing them by fitness levels and alcohol consumption to observe shifts in these areas over ten years.
While some results aligned with what you’d expect—like increased alcohol consumption correlating with a higher mortality risk, as did reduced fitness—what stood out was looking at these factors together instead of separately. For instance, those who fell within the lowest 20 percent of fitness experienced a significantly elevated risk of death, irrespective of how much they drank. Conversely, for individuals who either maintained or improved their fitness levels, mortality risk decreased even if their alcohol consumption increased. So, it turns out, fitness can significantly mitigate the risks linked to alcohol consumption.
Fitness Improvements Outweigh Alcohol Reduction
The research clearly indicates that if longevity is your aim, enhancing your fitness provides a greater benefit than merely cutting down on alcohol. As Jordan Weiss, PhD, an assistant professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, puts it, “It’s not even close.”
Weiss notes that the findings reveal being in the lowest fitness bracket poses more danger than moderate drinking. In fact, a fit individual who drinks moderately is likely to outlive someone who doesn’t drink at all but has poor fitness. He suggests that if an average person can walk for 30 minutes daily and reduce drinking from five nights to two, both goals are achievable. However, he emphasizes that if one had to choose between the two to significantly lower mortality risk, exercise would always be the preferred option.
