Some of the most common diseases in the United States are breast cancer, colon cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. In 2016, researchers in the United States and Australia analyzed data to find out exactly how much exercise is needed to lower a person’s risk for these diseases. They examined 174 exercise studies published between 1980 and 2016. They found that those who had a total activity level of 3,000-4,000 metabolic equivalent (MET) minutes per week lowered their risk for all five diseases. MET indicates the energy cost of physical activity, which is is calculated by the number of calories burned multiplied by the number of minutes a person does the activity.
Learn more about these 2016 findings about how exercise can lower disease risks.