Muscle-strengthening exercise epidemiology: a narrative review

Abstract

The benefit of physical activity in health promotion is widely accepted. Although regular aerobic physical activity is recommended by national and international guidelines, most of the guidelines also recommend regular muscle strengthening activities at moderate or greater intensity that involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week for additional health benefits. Considering this trend, the epidemiological evidence on the association between muscle-strengthening exercise and health outcomes is increasing, and muscle-strengthening exercise is emerging as an important discipline in the field of physical activity epidemiology. In this narrative review, we provide an epidemiological overview of muscle-strengthening exercise. First, we define muscle-strengthening exercise. Second, we present the history of muscle-strength exercise. Third, we provide epidemiological evidence on the association between muscle-strengthening exercise and health outcomes, including the risk of mortality, cardiovascular events, cancer, and life-style related diseases. Last, we describe the prevalence of and correlates of muscle-strengthening exercise. Most of the studies included in this review were international studies, as relevant studies conducted in Japan were limited. Hence, there is a need for epidemiological studies on muscle-strengthening activity with a focus on the Japanese population.