Higher weekly activity levels linked to lower risk of 5 chronic diseases

Higher levels of total physical activity are strongly associated with lower risk of five common chronic diseases - breast and bowel cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke, finds a study in The BMJ today.

10 aug 2016--Many studies have shown the health benefits of physical activity. This has led the World Health Organization (WHO) to recommend a minimum total physical activity level of 600 metabolic equivalent (MET) minutes a week across different 'domains' of daily life.
This can include being more physically active at work, engaging more in domestic activities such as housework and gardening, and/or engaging in active transportation such as walking and cycling.
But we still do not definitively know how much the type and quantity of physical activity reduces the risk of common conditions.
So a team of researchers based in the US and Australia analysed the results of 174 studies published between 1980 and 2016 examining the associations between total physical activity and at least one of five chronic diseases - breast cancer, bowel (colon) cancer, diabetes, ischemic heart disease, and ischemic stroke.
They found that a higher level of total weekly physical activity was associated with a lower risk of all five conditions.
Most health gains occurred at a total activity level of 3000-4000 MET minutes a week, with diminishing returns at higher activity levels.
A person can achieve 3000 MET minutes a week by incorporating different types of physical activity into their daily routine - for example, climbing stairs for 10 minutes, vacuuming for 15 minutes, gardening for 20 minutes, running for 20 minutes, and walking or cycling for 25 minutes.
The results suggest that total physical activity needs to be several times higher than the current recommended minimum level of 600 MET minutes a week to potentially achieve larger reductions in risks of these diseases, say the authors.
Although they cannot tell us about cause and effect, meta-analyses involving observational research are useful for pulling evidence together. And the authors say their findings have several important implications.
"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 write.
"More studies using the detailed quantification of total physical activity will help to find a more precise estimate for different levels of physical activity," they conclude.
In a linked editorial, researchers at the University of Strathclyde and the International Prevention Research Institute in Lyon, France say this study "represents an advance in the handling of disparate data on a lifestyle factor that has considerable importance for the prevention of chronic diseases."
But they point out that "it cannot tell us whether risk reductions would be different with short duration intense physical activity or longer duration light physical activity."
They conclude: "Future studies must streamline their measurement and reporting for real gains in knowledge."

More information: The BMJ. www.bmj.com/content/354/bmj.i3857


Provided by British Medical Journal

Diet or exercise? "Energy balance" is real key to disease prevention

28 jun 2014—A majority of Americans are overweight or obese, a factor in the rapid rise in common diseases like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure and more. According to a paper published in this month's issue of the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), energy balance is a viable public health solution to address the obesity epidemic. The paper outlines steps to incorporate energy balance principles into public health outreach in the U.S.

"It is time we collectively move beyond debating nutrition or exercise and focus on nutrition and exercise," said co-author and ACSM member Melinda Manore, Ph.D., R.D., C.S.S.D., FACSM of Oregon State University. "Nutrition and exercise professionals working collaboratively, combined with effective public health messaging about the importance of energy balance, can help America shape up and become healthier."

The paper, published in the July edition of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise and in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics gives the following recommendations:

• Integrate energy balance into curriculum and training for both exercise science and nutrition professionals and strengthen collaborative efforts between them
• Develop competencies for school and physical education teachers and position them as energy balance advocates
• Develop core standards for schools that integrate the dynamic energy balance approach
• Work with federally-funded nutrition programs to incorporate energy balance solutions like the Cooperative Extension Service and school lunch programs
• Develop messaging and promotional strategies about energy balance that American consumers can understand and apply to their lifestyle
• Map out and support existing programs that emphasize energy balance

"Our health professionals are currently working in silos and must work together to educate and promote energy balance as the key to better health" said Manore. "The obesity crisis is one of the greatest public health challenges of our generation. Energy balance can help us work toward a solution so our children aren't saddled with the same health challenges we currently face. "

More information: The paper is available online: journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Ful… nslating_the.24.aspx

Provided by American College of Sports Medicine