According to research published in European Heart Journal today (Monday).
Researchers conducted a detailed study of nearly 96,000 people, comparing their overall activity levels with the intensity of vigorous activity and the subsequent risk of eight major diseases.
They found that even short bursts of more vigorous activity, such as running for the bus, reduced the risk of disease and death overall, but was particularly protective against inflammatory diseases, including arthritis. serious cardiovascular conditions, such as heart attack and stroke; and dementia.
The research was done by an international team, including Professor Minxue Shen from the Xiangya School of Public Health at Central South University, Hunan, China.
We know that physical activity reduces the risk of chronic disease and premature death, and there is growing evidence that vigorous activity provides greater health benefits per minute than moderate activity. However, questions remain about the importance of vigorous activity versus total physical activity. For example, if two people do the same total activity, does the person who exercises more vigorously gain greater health benefits? And if one has limited time, should one focus on exercising harder rather than longer?”
Professor Minxue Shen, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Hunan, China
The research included 96,408 people taking part in the UK Biobank study. Each participant wore an accelerometer on their wrist for a week to accurately measure their movement, including short periods of vigorous movement that people often forget. The researchers used these measurements to quantify each person’s total activity during the week and the proportion of activity that was intense enough to take their breath away.
They compared this data with the likelihood of dying or developing eight serious health conditions over the next seven years (major cardiovascular disease, irregular heartbeat, type 2 diabetes, immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, liver disease, chronic respiratory disease, chronic kidney disease, and dementia).
It found that people who spent a greater proportion of their total physical activity doing vigorous activity had a significantly lower risk of all diseases. For example, compared to people who did no vigorous activity at all, those with the highest percentage had a 63% lower risk of developing dementia, a 60% lower risk of type 2 diabetes and a 46% lower risk of death. These benefits of vigorous activity persisted even when time was moderate.
The researchers also found that a higher rate of vigorous activity was more important in some diseases than others. For example, with inflammatory diseases such as arthritis and psoriasis, intensity was almost all that mattered in reducing risk. For others, such as diabetes and chronic liver disease, both the amount and intensity of activity mattered.
Professor Shen said: “Vigorous physical activity appears to trigger specific responses in the body that lower-intensity activity cannot fully replicate. During vigorous physical activity – the kind that makes you feel like you’re out of breath – your body responds in powerful ways. Your heart pumps more efficiently, your blood vessels become more flexible, and your body improves its ability to use oxygen.
“Vigorous activity also appears to reduce inflammation. This may explain why we’ve seen strong associations with inflammatory conditions such as psoriasis and arthritis. It may also stimulate chemicals in the brain that help keep brain cells healthy, which could explain the lower risk of dementia.”
“Our findings suggest that your vigorous physical activity can provide significant health benefits. This doesn’t require going to the gym. Adding short bursts of activity that break you up a bit in everyday life, such as taking the stairs quickly, walking briskly between errands or playing actively with children, can make a real difference. Benefits.”
“Current guidelines generally focus on time spent in activity per week. Our findings suggest that the composition of that activity matters, and it matters differently depending on the diseases you’re trying to prevent. This could open the door to more personalized physical activity recommendations based on an individual’s specific health risks.”
“Violent activity may not be safe for everyone, especially the elderly or people with certain medical conditions. For them, any increase in movement is still beneficial and activity should be tailored to the individual.”
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