Even minimal physical activity enhances health measurable-ScienceDaily

Get up and your life may depend on it

Exercise and other moderate to intense physical activity (MVPA) may reduce the risk of many age-related chronic illnesses, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, numerous cancers, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia. Well proven.However, in a study published on October 12, 2020 Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, Researchers have found that resting alone reduces the risk of death.

A research team led by Dr. Andrea Lacroix, director of epidemiology at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, worked with the Women’s Health Initiative to observe the activity levels of approximately 6,000 American women between the ages of 63 and 97. .. Participants wore research-grade accelerometers for seven days to accurately measure the time they sat, stood, and moved.

Participants who spent the most time standing had a 37% lower risk of death compared to the less frequently standing group. It was observed that the risk of death was reduced by resting for only 30 minutes per day, while the highest group rested for nearly 90 minutes per day. The positive effect of standing was even stronger when the participants were standing and moving around at the same time.

“Avoiding long sitting hours and exercising regularly is an important strategy for older Americans to improve their prospects for healthy aging,” said the lead author of the PhD. Purva Jain says. “Especially low-intensity physical activity, such as standing, is important to study for its feasibility and safety. In our study, simply spending more time on your feet is a risk of death. It turns out that there are important health benefits such as a reduction in. “

Adults in the United States over the age of 65 struggle to meet physical activity guidelines that typically require 150 minutes of activity per week. According to researchers, many Americans sit up to 11 hours a day. Women are particularly at increased risk of developing or having health concerns associated with inactivity.

“Standing is a viable approach to interrupting long sittings throughout the day,” said Dr. John Berettiere, a professor of epidemiology at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. “This can be incapable of participating in moderate to active activities, but is most beneficial for older people who can safely follow a healthy aging lifestyle by getting up more from sitting. I understand this.”

“This is the first study of its kind that has been able to decipher the benefits of stopping and standing and moving around,” said senior author Dr. Andrea Lacroix. “By doing so, we have a good health effect when we stand still.”

Modern technology and sedentary life

Another study was published on October 12, 2020 BMJ Open Sports & Exercise MedicineResearchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine used physical activity data collected as part of a survey of rural farmers in Malawi. Their lives were minimally impacted by technology and compared to the American lifestyle.

With this comparison, the team sought to investigate the potential impact of technology-dominated lifestyles on sedentary time and physical activity.

Their findings show a significantly higher level of activity among the Malawi population compared to US participants. Specifically, Americans spend nearly two hours more likely to sit down each day than Malawis.

“Comparing current levels of activity in the United States with the lifestyles of celebrities in Malawi gives us an admiration for how inactive we are,” said the director of the Institute of Public Health at the University of California, San Diego. Lead author Michael Pratt, MD, said. Diego. “We have evolved into an active being, and we have left it behind for the luxury of certain modern advances.”

The survey was conducted in Malawi, a country in Southeast Africa where farmers in the Zomba and Ntcheu districts were hired. Almost all of the sampled farmers lacked electricity at home and did not own a car. Conversely, computers, cell phones, televisions, and cars dominate the daily lives of many Americans, increasing their tendency to sit and reducing the need for physical activity.

To quantify the difference in activity levels between these two samples with contrasting lifestyles, researchers asked 414 Malawi farmers (ages 15-85) to wear accelerometers daily for 7 days. Did. The data were then compared to a sample of 3,258 Americans in the same age range measured at the same time in a previous study. Adults in Malawi had significantly higher levels of MVPA and photoactivity than those observed in US samples, and were less likely to sit. Researchers used nearly identical data collection, scoring, and analysis to draw conclusions.

Malawi farmers met current physical activity guidelines in 94% of the time, compared to 55% in the US sample. However, the results can have different implications in Malawi. In Malawi, self-sufficient diligence and family-owned non-mechanized agriculture are primarily essential to household food security.

“This study suggests the serious impact of a technology-oriented lifestyle that is becoming increasingly dominant around the world,” said James, Professor Emeritus of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. Dr. Salis said. “As humans, we were designed to be active and now we know how dependent our health is on it. For people in most high-income countries, we know that they are. Efforts to help get out of the chair need to be prioritized. Food security is a higher priority for active people in low-income countries. “