A new study published in the journal Circulation has shown that a “weekend warrior” schedule of physical activity, in which most exercise during the week is compressed into two days, is associated with a lower risk of over 200 diseases compared to inactivity.
The prospective cohort study used data from over 89,000 participants in the UK Biobank. Participants wore an accelerometer for one week to measure their physical activity patterns. Then, the participants were monitored for the development of 678 different conditions. The incidence of these conditions was compared to weekly exercise patterns to determine whether an association existed.
The results showed that a “weekend warrior” pattern of exercise was associated with a lower risk of developing over 200 conditions compared to inactivity. The associations were strongest for cardiometabolic conditions, although improvements in risk were seen across all disease categories. For example, the risk of developing hypertension was 23% lower with a weekend warrior schedule compared to not exercising, and the risk of developing diabetes was 43% lower compared to not exercising. Similar decreases in risk were seen for participants who exercised regularly across the week compared to participants who did not exercise.
The authors noted that their results remained consistent across different definitions of “weekend warrior” activity and different thresholds for categorizing people as active. Since results were similar for people who exercised throughout the week and people who only exercised on weekends, the results of this study suggest that the total volume of activity throughout the week may be the most important factor in preventing diseases. Regular physical activity has been associated with lower risk of disease in many previous studies, and it is well-known as a key to improving and maintaining cardiometabolic health.
Sources: Circulation, Science Daily