New study proves exercise can’t compensate for a poor diet

If you think you can counter the ill-effects of daily takeouts, and ordering out by hitting the gym regularly, we have some bad news for you!

According to a new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, exercise can’t compensate for the adverse and long-term impact of unhealthy food on our health.

The findings come from a 11-year-long study which assessed the diet patterns of 360,000 adults. According to the study, a ‘bad’ or ‘unhealthy’ diet was one comprising “low fruit and vegetable intake, no fish, and lots of red meat, especially processed meat.”

The results suggested that the participants who engaged in high levels of physical activity while practicing a healthy diet had the lowest risks of death compared to their counterparts who were not only physically inactive but also had poor diets.

Lead researcher of the study Melody Ding claimed that while many people may think that they could offset the impacts of a poor diet with high levels of exercise or offset the impacts of low physical activity with a high-quality diet, data has shown that this is not the case. Long story short, the study suggested exercise and a good diet go hand in hand, and balance is the key to a healthy life!

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