Can you exercise your way out of an unhealthy diet?

You’ve likely heard the phrase ‘You can’t out-train a bad diet’.

This phrase suggests that, when it comes to calories, it’s difficult — if not impossible — to create a calorie deficit through exercise when you’re eating poorly.

However, according to a new study, it appears this phrase rings true in another sense too: Your mortality risk.

According to new research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, high levels of physical activity do not counteract the detrimental effects of a poor diet on mortality risk.

A study conducted at The University of Sydney found that participants who had both high levels of physical activity and a high-quality diet had the lowest risk of death.

Compared to physically inactive participants with poor diets, those who had the highest physical activity and a high-quality diet had a mortality risk that was reduced by 17% from all causes.

They also had a 19% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, and 27% percent from certain cancers.

In other words? You can’t outrun the effects of a poor diet simply by exercising more. Regular physical activity and good dietary habits go hand in hand when it comes to your long-term health and longevity.

“This recent research sets up a controversial argument,” says Brian Carson, PhD, exercise psychologist at the University of Limerick and head of science and innovation at WholeSupp.

“What should not be taken from it is that one should be prioritized or is more important than the other. Both diet and physical activity are important for our health, and there are synergies between them.”