Exercise in childhood protects the heart for life
- Posted on 18/07/2024 16:03
- Film
- By abelozih@sante-education.tg
Extract from the article: In adulthood, myocardial infarction and stroke are more likely to occur in people who were sedentary as children.
In
adulthood, myocardial infarction and stroke are more likely to occur in people
who were sedentary as children.
Sedentary children
are more likely to suffer heart attacks and strokes in adulthood. The cause:
the impact of high cholesterol levels in sedentary youngsters as they grow up.
Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio (Finland) measured
physical activity and cholesterol levels in thousands of 11-year-olds over a
13-year period. The study was published in « The Journal of Clinical
Endocrinology & Metabolism » on December 14, 2023.
Light activity may
be enough
The result:
sedentary time had risen from around 6 hours a day in childhood to 9 hours a
day in young adulthood, and had contributed almost 70% to the increase in their
overall cholesterol levels.How did sport participation evolve? Light physical activity had decreased from 6
hours a day in childhood to 3 hours a day in young adulthood. Another point highlighted in the study is
that light-intensity physical activity from childhood onwards could be 5 to
8 times more effective than moderate to vigorous physical activity in reversing
the negative effect of a sedentary lifestyle on hypercholesterolemia. Practicing
light physical activity for 3 to 4 hours a day can be an effective way of
reducing hypercholesterolemia and avoiding heart health problems later in life.
Light physical activity can be as simple as walking or cycling to school or the
park, or taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
Elom AKAKPO
