A new long-term Finnish study shows that adults who stay physically active throughout their lives are much less likely to develop metabolic syndrome by age 61.
This health condition involves a group of problems like a larger waistline, high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol levels, and poor blood sugar control. It raises the risk for heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
The research is part of the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development, which has been following the same group of people in Finland for over 50 years.
In this study, scientists looked at 159 people and tracked their physical activity at ages 27, 42, 50, and 61. They also checked their heart and metabolic health at age 61 to see how active lifestyles affected their bodies.
The researchers found three patterns of physical activity across adulthood: some people were active from early on and stayed active (exercising several times a week), some increased their activity around middle age, and others remained mostly inactive (exercising at most once a week).
At age 61, those who had been inactive their entire adult life were about four times more likely to have metabolic syndrome than those who stayed active. Even people who only became active later had a lower risk—about half the risk of the inactive group.
What’s even more interesting is that recent activity—especially muscle-strengthening exercises—made a difference too. When researchers took into account how active people were at age 61, the differences between the groups became smaller.
This means that even if someone wasn’t active in earlier years, being active later in life still helped improve their health.
People who did regular strength training and walked or biked as part of their commute had better cholesterol levels, especially higher HDL (the “good” cholesterol). They also had smaller waistlines compared to those who didn’t do these types of exercises. These are two key parts of reducing the risk of metabolic syndrome.
Dr. Tiina Savikangas, one of the researchers, explained that while long-term activity is clearly good for health, becoming active later in life still has benefits. She emphasized that muscle-strengthening activities seem to be especially helpful for keeping metabolism in check.
Another researcher, Dr. Eero Haapala, added that this study supports what many experts have said for years: being physically active is good for health at every stage of life. Just as importantly, it’s never too late to start being active.
This research used data from a recent phase of the Jyväskylä study, called TRAILS, which focuses on people turning 60. The latest data were collected between 2020 and 2021.
The study included both men and women, and health checks involved measuring blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, and waist size. Blood samples were taken after fasting, and researchers also considered medications that participants were using.
People were classified as having metabolic syndrome if they had at least three risk factors above the clinical threshold. These included a large waist size, low HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood pressure, and high fasting blood sugar.
The study sends a clear message: staying active throughout your life is one of the best ways to protect your health as you age. But even if you’ve been inactive in the past, starting physical activity—especially strength training—can still help lower your health risks in later years.
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The study is published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
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