According to the researchers, when the level of total physical activity per week is five to seven times the minimum level recommended by the WHO, there would be a lower risk of stroke and of contracting breast and bowel cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
Chronic diseases are long-term medical conditions that are generally progressive. Some examples of chronic diseases include heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and chronic respiratory problems.
At present, these are the major causes of disability and death globally. In effect, the study findings show that higher levels of physical activity can achieve bigger reductions in the risk of the five highlighted common chronic diseases, but only if people engage in levels far above the recommended minimum exertion.
An analysis of 174 studies found that gardening, household chores and more strenuous activities, when done in sufficient quantities, were strongly associated with a lower risk of stroke and of contracting breast and bowel cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
At present, the WHO recommends that people conduct at least 600 metabolic equivalent minutes (MET minutes) of physical activity – the equivalent of 150 minutes each week of brisk walking or 75 minutes of running.
But the new study suggested most health gains were achieved at 3,000 to 4,000 MET minutes per week. Reacting, the lead author, Hmwe Kyu, from the University of Washington, said: “Major gains occurred at lower levels of activity. The decrease in risk was minimal at levels higher than 3,000 to 4,000 MET minutes per week.
“A person can achieve 3,000 MET minutes per week by incorporating different types of physical activity into the daily routine – for example, climbing stairs 10 minutes, vacuuming 15 minutes, gardening 20 minutes, running 20 minutes, and walking or cycling for transportation 25 minutes on a daily basis would together achieve about 3,000 MET minutes a week.
Analysing studies published between 1980 and 2016, the researchers found the pattern highlighted was most prominent for ischemic heart disease and diabetes and least prominent for breast cancer.
For example, individuals with a total activity level of 600 MET minutes per week had a two per cent lower risk of diabetes compared with those reporting no physical activity. An increase from 600 to 3,600 MET minutes reduced the risk by an additional 19 per cent.
The same amount of increase yielded much smaller returns at higher levels of activity. “With population ageing, and an increasing number of cardiovascular and diabetes deaths since 1990, greater attention and investments in interventions to promote physical activity in the general public is required,” they wrote. “More studies using the detailed quantification of total physical activity will help to find a more precise estimate for different levels of physical activity.” Story By JOHNSON OKPUSA OBASI
