![Heart attacks & strokes: lack of exercise in childhood increases the risk](https://tipsforwomens.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Heart-attacks-strokes-lack-of-exercise-in-childhood-increases-scaled.jpg)
Children spending a lot of time in sedentary activities is linked to an increased risk of high cholesterol, heart attacks and strokes later in life.
A new study from the University of Eastern Finland examined how time spent sitting, light physical activity, and moderate to vigorous physical activity from childhood to young adulthood influence blood lipid levels, which play a significant role in later cardiovascular disease . The results are published in the “Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism”.
Data from almost 800 children
In total, data from 792 children were analyzed, which came from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). This data included, among other things, recordings from activity monitors and repeated measurements of blood lipid levels over a period of up to 13 years.
The team focused on the possible connection between time spent sitting and the risk of elevated cholesterol levels.
Decreasing physical activity
First, it became clear that the average time spent sitting increased from six hours a day in childhood to nine hours in young adulthood, the team reports. This contributed to almost 70 percent of the observed increase in total cholesterol levels.
The researchers also found that during childhood, an average of around six hours a day was spent doing light physical activity. By young adulthood, this value was reduced to just three hours a day.
Reduced cholesterol levels through exercise
However, even maintaining three hours of light physical activity per day was still associated with lower total cholesterol levels, the team reports. An increased total body fat percentage only slightly reduced this effect on total cholesterol levels.
According to the researchers, the time spent in moderate to intense physical activity remained relatively constant from childhood to young adulthood at an average of 50 minutes a day and was also associated with positive effects on cholesterol levels.
However, the researchers found that increased total body fat significantly reduced the effect of moderate to vigorous physical activity on total cholesterol levels.
Overall, however, light physical activity in childhood reduced cholesterol levels five to eight times more than moderate to intense physical activity, the team explains.
Risk of heart disease
High cholesterol in childhood is associated with an increased risk of heart disease under age 30 and an increased risk of premature cardiovascular death in your mid-40s, the research team explains.
“Light exercise for three to four hours per day can be an effective way to reduce high cholesterol and prevent later heart problems,” adds study author Dr. Andrew O. Agbaje in a press release about the study results.
“Our study shows that increased sedentary behavior during childhood may contribute to two-thirds of the total increase in a person’s cholesterol levels before their mid-twenties,” said Dr. Agbaje.
According to the researchers, lack of exercise in childhood could be a main risk factor for elevated cholesterol levels and a subsequent premature heart attack or stroke in your mid-forties. (as)