A research team discovered that the intensity of physical activity affects mortality risk: it significantly decreases when physical activity is more intense

>The study shows that mortality decreases meaningfully when physical activity is carried out with higher intensity. This finding is interesting, because research and the general public have so far focused more on the duration of sport and physical activity. The study thus breaks with the idea that longer exercise sessions are always the best solution to staying fit.

>For their study, the researchers examined a data set of more than 7,000 people from the USA. All of the participants wore an accelerometer for one week. Similar to a smartwatch, this measures the accelerations that a person generates in everyday life, allowing conclusions to be drawn about their activity. The researchers then evaluated the data obtained down to the second and were thus able to determine that the intensity has a positive effect on longevity. The faster and more dynamically a movement such as walking is performed, the more intense the activity.
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>Researcher Fabian Schwendinger explains, “Higher intensity stimulates the cardiovascular system more. This improves vascular function and cardiorespiratory fitness, i.e. the performance of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.” It reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, strokes, high blood pressure and other health problems. Accordingly, the mortality risk is also reduced.

Paper: [Intensity or volume: the role of physical activity in longevity | European Journal of Preventive Cardiology | Oxford Academic](https://academic.oup.com/eurjpc/advance-article/doi/10.1093/eurjpc/zwae295/7758152?login=false)