Get off the couch!

Scientists have found a way to prevent the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle

Natalia Pelezneva, Naked Science

A study involving 7985 Americans showed that regular physical activity is important to reduce risks.

Sedentary lifestyle and lack of movement are widespread among residents of large cities. Studies show that lack of physical activity increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and obesity. Also, lack of movement is associated with a decrease in brain volume.

The authors of the new study analyzed data on the lifestyle of 7985 people over 45 years old and came to the conclusion: it is not the sedentary lifestyle itself that is dangerous, but the lack of regular "warm-ups". According to the study, prolonged periods of sitting turned out to be one of the main factors increasing the risk of death over the next few years. Risk reduction was observed in those who took small "mobile" breaks every half hour or more often.

The volunteers for the study were selected from among the people who participated in the REGARDS (REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke) project. The aim of the project was to find out in which American states various manifestations of cardiovascular diseases are most common. All participants underwent a telephone survey and a medical examination. Those who agreed to participate in the study of the influence of a sedentary lifestyle received small accelerometers attached to the hips. The data was collected for a week. According to the navigation data of the devices, scientists determined how much time a person spends sitting and how often he moves.

Mobility was measured every day for 16 hours. On average, the project participants spent about 12.3 hours a day sitting.

Four years later, 340 project participants died. The scientists came to the conclusion that the more time a person spent sitting in general and the longer individual "sedentary" periods turned out to be, the greater the risk of premature death increased. This ratio did not depend on the number of sports. At the same time, the researchers noted a decrease in risk in those who got up every 30 minutes or more often.

According to the authors of the work, studies with a large number of participants will finally determine the causes of the negative impact of a sedentary lifestyle. However, you can use the practical conclusions of the work already now.

The study is published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru  13.09.2017