Light physical activity is emerging as a powerful tool for reversing cholesterol risk from childhood inactivity

Increased sedentary time in childhood can raise cholesterol levels by two-thirds as adults, leading to heart problems and even early death – but a new study has shown that light physical activity can completely reverse the risks and is much more effective from moderate to vigorous physical activity.

The study was carried out in collaboration between the University of Exeter, the University of Eastern Finland and the University of Bristol and was published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. The researchers used data from the University of Bristol’s Children of the 90s study (also known as the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children), which included 792 11-year-olds who were followed up to age 24.

The results of this study found that accumulated sedentary time from childhood can increase cholesterol levels by two-thirds (67 percent) by the time someone reaches their twenties. Elevated cholesterol and dyslipidemia from childhood and adolescence have been associated with early death in the mid-40s and heart problems such as subclinical atherosclerosis and heart damage in the mid-20s.

A healthy lifestyle is considered important for the prevention of dyslipidemia, and one of the main ways to reduce cholesterol, in addition to diet, is physical activity. For the first time, this study objectively examined the long-term effects of sedentary lifestyle, light physical activity, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on cholesterol levels in childhood.

The World Health Organization currently recommends that children and adolescents get an average of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day and reduce sedentary time, but has limited guidelines for light physical activity. However, this new study and other recent studies have shown that light physical activity – which includes exercises such as long walks, doing housework or slow dancing, swimming or cycling – is up to five times more effective than moderate to vigorous physical activity activity in promoting healthy hearts and reducing inflammation in the young population.

Dr Andrew Agbaje from the University of Exeter led the study and said: “These findings highlight the incredible health importance of light physical activity and show that it could be key to preventing elevated cholesterol and dyslipidaemia from early life. We have evidence that light physical activity is much more effective than moderate to vigorous physical activity in this regard, and so it may be time for the World Health Organization to update its childhood exercise guidelines – and public health experts health, pediatricians and health policy makers have encouraged more participation in light physical activity since childhood.”

During the survey, accelerometer measurements of sedentary time, light physical activity, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity were collected at ages 11, 15, and 24 years. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and total cholesterol were measured repeatedly at ages 15, 17, and 24 years. These children also had repeated dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry measurements of total body fat and muscle mass, as well as fasting blood glucose, insulin, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, with smoking status, socioeconomic status, and family history of cardiovascular disease disease.

During the 13-year follow-up, sedentary time increased from about six hours a day to nine hours a day. Light physical activity decreased from six hours per day to three hours per day, while moderate to vigorous physical activity was relatively stable at about 50 minutes per day from childhood to young adulthood. The mean increase in total cholesterol was 0.69 mmol/l. No effect of body fat was observed.

An average of four and a half hours per day of light physical activity from childhood to young adulthood reduced total cholesterol by (-0.53 mmol/l), however, body fat mass could moderate the effect of light physical activity in total cholesterol by up to six percent. Approximately 50 minutes per day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity since childhood was also associated with slightly reduced total cholesterol (-0.05 mmol/L), but total body fat mass moderated the effect of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on total cholesterol by and 48 percent. Importantly, the increase in fat mass counteracted the small effect of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on total cholesterol.

The paper has a title Associations of Childhood Sedentary Time and Physical Activity with Lipids: A 13-Year Mediation and Longitudinal Study and published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. These findings come shortly after another study led by Dr Andrew Agbaje published this week in Nature Communications found that light physical activity can completely reverse childhood obesity linked to increased sedentary life in more than 6000 children . Sedentary lifestyles contributed seven to ten percent of total fat mass gained during development from childhood to young adulthood. Light physical activity reduced overall fat mass gain by 9.5-15 percent, while moderate-to-vigorous physical activity reduced fat mass by 0.7-1.7 percent.

Our research shows that light physical activity can be an unsung hero, and it’s time for the world to replace the mantra of “average 60 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity” with “at least 3 hours a day of light physical activity.” activity’. Light physical activity appears to be the antidote to the detrimental effect of sedentary life on the young population.”

Dr Andrew Agbaje, University of Exeter

The research team of Dr Andrew Agbaje (urFIT-child) is supported by research grants from the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, the Finnish Cultural Foundation Central Fund, the Finland Cultural Foundation North Savo Regional Fund, the Orion Research Foundation, the Aarne Koskelo Foundation, the Antti and Tyyne Soininen Foundation, the Paulo Foundation, the Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation, the Paavo Nurmi Foundation, the Finnish Cardiovascular Research Foundation, the Ida Montin Foundation, the Pediatric Research Foundation and the Alfred Kordelin Foundation.