08/06/2026
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Did you know that weight training for just 90 minutes a week 'cuts the risk of early death'?
Researchers led from Harvard analysed 147,373 people in the US over 30 years and found that strength training over an extended period can significantly lower the chance of death from heart disease and stroke by 19%. The benefits also reduce the risk of death from neurological disease.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, DCU's Prof Niall Moyna expressed no surprise at the study's findings, highlighting that its unique 30-year tracking method with questionnaires filled out every two years makes the data highly reliable. He noted that while people in Ireland often focus on getting their steps in for cardiovascular health, they frequently neglect muscle mass, which naturally declines by about 10% per decade between the ages of 40 and 70 if not actively maintained.
This loss of a quarter of one's muscle mass leads to a more sedentary lifestyle and a higher risk of chronic conditions, however, Prof Moyna emphasised that committing to 60 to 120 minutes of strength training per week can combat this decline, drastically reducing all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, as well as cutting the risk of neurological diseases like Alzheimer's and dementia by almost 30%.
Listen to the full interview: https://launch.dcu.ie/3Q7dr4a
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