ABSTRACT
The Norwegian epidemiologist Gunnar Erikssen asserts that ‘…modern day humans are dying because of a lack of physical exercise’ (Erikssen 2001). In this chapter, we will examine the evidence that physical activity and physical fitness reduce the risk of dying prematurely. The studies included in this chapter are those which have addressed all-cause mortality, that is, death from any cause. Studies that have examined the link between activity/fitness and specific causes of death such as cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer are covered elsewhere in the book (Chapters 4 and 9, respectively, for CVD and cancer). Moreover, the studies discussed in this chapter are all epidemiological cohort studies. Therefore, they do not begin to answer the question ‘why do active/fit people live longer than inactive/unfit people?’ Answers to this question are provided in later chapters.
