Elderly people who increase their activity from less than three minutes a day to at least 14 minutes can reduce their risk of stroke by more than 40 percent, studies show.
Being sedentary, whether sitting for long periods or otherwise not moving for long seizures, is associated with an increased risk of heart disease to obesity, with the World Health Organization saying physical inactivity is a leading cause of illness and disability. .
Writing in the Jama Network Open, U.S. researchers report analyzing data collected through follow-up carried over seven days by 7,607 participants between 2009 and 2013.
“The findings of this study show that more time spent in physical activity, especially at moderate intensity, and less time spent in a sedentary life, especially during longer attacks, can help reduce the risk of stroke.” said the authors – although they warn that extrapolating specific results to individuals is more difficult.
Participants who were on average just over 63 years of age were then followed for an average of 7.4 years, during which time 286 of them suffered a stroke.
The team’s analysis found that one-third of participants who managed at least 14 minutes a day had a 43% lower risk of stroke than a third of participants who managed less than 2.7 minutes moderate to vigorous. exercises per day. This was after factors such as age, gender, smoking status, alcohol consumption, heart disease and time spent in a sedentary life were taken into account.
The analysis also suggests that four to five hours of light-a-day activity may reduce the risk of stroke.
“Of course, accumulation [that] it will probably require some deliberate effort, as most older people do not achieve as much, ”said Dr. Stephen Hooker, the first author of the study from San Diego State University.
Separately, the team added that the most inactive participants who spent more than 13 of the 16 recorded hours a day in a sedentary life had a 44% higher risk of stroke than those who spent less than 11.8 hours in this state.
“These results support the latest clinical and public health guidelines that encourage people to move more and sit less to maintain cardiovascular health,” the team said.
However, the study had limitations, including the fact that only data were collected for each participant for a maximum of seven days.
Naveed Sattar, a nonprofessional professor of metabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, warned that the study could slightly overestimate the benefits of linking activity levels to the risk of stroke, in part because people with mild, often undiagnosed, previous strokes may be able to walk less.
But, he said, exercise is important. “There is no doubt that more activity reduces excess body fat and helps keep blood pressure lower, healthier,” he said, adding that while every activity is good, moderate to vigorous exercise will offer more. benefits for the time spent. “Because both factors are strong risk factors for stroke, it follows that walking more and sitting less will protect the brain as well as the heart.”
Add Comment