This study examined the association of changes in physical activity and adiposity with all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cancer mortality using longitudinal data from Taiwan's MJ Cohort. Increasing physical activity from any baseline level was associated with lower mortality risk for all three outcomes, comparable to consistently meeting physical activity guidelines. Decreasing adiposity attenuated but didn't fully offset mortality risk, with only maintaining healthy adiposity offering substantial risk reduction. Joint changes analyses showed that lower mortality risk stemmed primarily from increased physical activity, suggesting its benefits are more immediate than those of adiposity reduction alone.

Matthew N. Ahmadi, I-Min Lee, Mark Hamer, Borja del Pozo Cruz, Li Jung Chen, Elif Eroglu, Yun-Ju Lai, Po Wen Ku, Emmanuel Stamatakis