February 25, 2026, 9:33 am | Read time: 7 minutes
A poor diet has negative consequences for our health. But can you counteract this with exercise? Some people think just that. But far from it! A study found that jogging in the morning cannot make up for the chocolate bar you ate the night before.
If you want to counteract the mortality risk of a poor diet, you should not rely on your training alone. Two studies show that sport cannot simply compensate for a poor diet. The researchers investigated the links between diet, physical activity, and long-term health and life expectancy. So much in advance: if you think you don’t have to watch what you eat as long as you get enough exercise, we’re sorry to disappoint you.
Overview
Long-Term Study with Around 86,000 Test Subjects
Some short-term studies had indicated that the effects of a poor diet could be partially mitigated by physical activity. The reason: Intense exercise prevents inflammation, insulin resistance, and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD)..1 Researchers from Australia wanted to know more and investigated the long-term effects of diet and exercise on CVD and mortality. The population-based study analyzed data from over 85,000 test subjects over a period of more than ten years. It determined how different combinations of exercise and diet quality affect the risk of CVD and premature death..2
What Was Studied?
The aim of the study was to determine the independent and joint effects of diet and physical activity on the risk of CVD and mortality. In particular, the researchers investigated
- Independent effects: How do diet and physical activity individually affect the risk of CVD and death?
- Interactions: Do the positive effects of exercise and diet reinforce each other?
- Combinations: Which combination of exercise and diet reduces risk the most?
Study Design and Methods
The study was based on data from the “45 and Up Study,” a large-scale, long-term study from New South Wales, Australia. A total of 85,545 people aged 45 to 74 without a previous diagnosis of CVD or severe physical limitations were observed over a period of 10.7 years.
The Following Factors Were Examined
Nutritional Quality
Recorded using a scoring system (0-10) that assessed the consumption of fruit, vegetables, fish, red meat, and processed meat products.
Exercise Intensity
Determined using the “Active Australia Survey”, which recorded the weekly time spent walking, moderate activity, and intensive exercise (e.g., jogging).
Health Development
- First hospital admission due to CVD
- Deaths from CVD
Participants were divided into groups based on their exercise habits and diet quality. Statistical models were used to calculate associations between these factors and health outcomes.
The Study Results
The study showed clear links between physical activity, diet, and health risk:
More Exercise Is Associated with Lower Risk of Death
Participants who performed at least 300 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week had a 44 percent lower risk of cardiovascular death and a 48 percent lower risk of premature death overall.
Higher Diet Quality Reduces the Risk of All-Cause Mortality
People with the highest diet quality had a 17 percent lower risk of premature death compared to those with the lowest quality.
No Significant Amplification of the Effects
A combination of a healthy diet and exercise did not lead to a greater risk reduction than the two factors individually. However, there was also no negative influence of the combination.
Additional Benefits from Intensive Exercise
Participants for whom more than 20 percent of their total physical activity consisted of intensive exercise (e.g., jogging) had an additional eight to eleven percent lower risk of CVD hospitalization.
What Is the Significance of the Results?
These results have important implications for health guidelines:
Exercise Is Essential for Health
The study confirms that regular exercise significantly reduces the risk of CVD and premature death. Even moderate exercise of 150 minutes per week was associated with a reduction in the risk of death.
A Healthy Diet Remains Important
Although the impact on CVD hospitalizations was not clear in this study, a high-quality diet reduced the overall risk of death.
Exercise Cannot Fully Compensate for a Poor Diet
The data shows that while regular exercise alone brings health benefits, it cannot offset all the negative effects of an unhealthy diet.
More Focus on Exercise and Nutrition in Prevention
Individual recommendations should take both aspects into account equally.
Classification of the Study and Possible Limitations
Strengths of the Study
- A large sample of over 85,000 participants enables reliable results.
- A long observation period of over ten years allows statements about long-term effects.
- Consideration of several influencing factors in order to minimize distortions.
Weaknesses of the Study
- Self-reporting: Diet and exercise were recorded via questionnaires, which can lead to inaccuracies.
- Incomplete dietary coverage: The dietary index only included a limited number of foods, which meant that important factors such as whole grain products or nuts were not taken into account.
- Mechanisms not captured: The study shows associations, but cannot prove cause-and-effect relationships.
Future studies should use more precise measurement methods (e.g., dietary logs, fitness trackers) and investigate possible mechanisms between diet, exercise, and CVD.
How Everyday Movement Significantly Reduces Mortality Risk
This Is Why the Life Expectancy of People in Europe Is Stagnating
Long-Term Study with 300,000 Adults from 2022
The study results support findings made by the same research team in an earlier study from 2022. At that time, they analyzed the diet and exercise patterns of 346,627 British adults from the UK Biobank over a period of eleven years. They related these to the deaths and causes of death that were also recorded. In their study, they tested the assumption that an increased risk of death due to a poor diet could be compensated for with exercise. “Poor diet” here meant a low intake of fruit and vegetables, little fish, but a lot of red (especially processed) meat..3 While the Australian researchers focused on cardiovascular diseases in their 2024 study, their 2022 study also included cancer.
Good Nutrition and Exercise in Combination
Within the 11.2 years analyzed, 2650 people died from cardiovascular diseases. 4522 died from obesity-related cancers such as esophageal, pancreatic, or colon cancer. 13,869 participants died from other causes.
It perhaps goes without saying that people with a high level of physical activity and a high-quality diet fared best. They reduced their risk of death by 17 percent, regardless of the cause. Compared with people who did little exercise and ate an unhealthy diet, they had a 19 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and a 27 percent lower risk of dying from certain types of cancer.
The group that ate a high-quality diet was therefore less likely to suffer from one of the cancers mentioned. In addition to a healthy diet, the test subjects with the lowest risk also had a higher level of physical activity.
Exercise Does Not Compensate for a Poor Diet
In both the current and the older studies, the researchers came to the conclusion that diet and physical activity have complementary effects on energy, lipid, glucose, and metabolic stability. This means that both diet and physical activity are independently crucial for longevity. But only those who consciously and healthily dedicate themselves to both diet and exercise will support their long-term health and thus prevent cardiovascular disease and obesity-related cancers. If you want to live as long and healthy a life as possible, you should eat a balanced diet and get enough exercise.
The German original of this article was published in February 2025.