Exercise Is Medicine: Physical Inactivity Drains $192 Billion from US Healthcare Each Year

The volume of peer-reviewed research supporting exercise as medicine is enormous and has grown dramatically over the past decade. Cancer, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease—studies continue to show that exercise helps prevent these chronic conditions, including managing symptoms post-diagnosis and even extending longevity.

In addition, research has demonstrated that regular physical activity has benefits for reducing mental health disorders and improving mood and cognitive health.

An estimate of the amount of PubMed-indexed studies specifically examining exercise's role in reducing chronic disease and improving mental, physical, and cognitive health over the past decade (2015–2025) runs well into the tens of thousands.

This enormous body of research is a reason why the recent partnership between HFA and the American Cancer Society was a natural pairing. See here for more.

Despite the overwhelming scientific research about exercise and health, not enough is being done on the policy level to increase rates of physical activity. According to the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, only 1 in 4 US adults meets the combined aerobic and muscle-strengthening guidelines lack of physical activity contributes to 1 in 10 premature deaths.

According to a study by the University of Georgia and the CDC, physical inactivity costs the US $192 billion annually in healthcare expenditures.

The following articles will look at research showing the benefits of physical exercise on cancer and mental health. In addition, new research to be presented at the 2026 HFA Fly-in and Advocacy Summit on June 8-10 in Washington, DC, will reveal dramatic research showing why combining exercise with GLP-1 treatments provides better health outcomes and healthcare cost savings.