How much exercise should be promoted to raise total daily energy expenditure and improve health?

Summary Despite longstanding recognition of the benefits of a physically active lifestyle, there remains ambiguity regarding exactly how much exercise should be promoted to raise total energy expenditure (TEE) and improve health. This review provides a brief summary of the dose–response relationship between physical activity and relative risk of morbidity and mortality; mechanisms through which exercise drives an increase in TEE; the highest reported levels of TEE measured via doubly labelled water; and the potential impact of non‐compliance and confounders in moderating the contribution of exercise to increase TEE. Cohort studies provide a compelling argument that ‘more is better’ regarding the exercise dose for increasing TEE, that increasing TEE is protective for health, and that this is mediated through increased cardiorespiratory fitness. However, growing evidence shows that ever increasing volumes of weekly physical activity may reverse the cost–benefit seen with more modest doses. Animal and human studies show that the elevation in TEE associated with increasing exercise volume is commonly less than expected, due to physiological confounders. Further, there is considerable evidence of behavioural non‐compliance to planned exercise in all but the most highly motivated athletes. Therefore, inbuilt defence mechanisms may safeguard against TEE being elevated to maximum levels.