Short bouts of vigorous activity daily could lower risk of eight major conditions: Study

Physical activity is known to bring down risk of chronic disease and premature death, with vigorous activity providing more benefits per minute.

"But questions remain about the importance of intense activity versus total physical activity," author Minxue Shen, from the Xiangya School of Public Health at Central South University in China, said.

"For example, if two people do the same total amount of activity, does the person who exercises more vigorously gain greater health benefits? And if someone has limited time, should they focus on exercising harder rather than longer?" Shen said.

The researchers analysed data of more than 96,400 people from the UK Biobank. Accelerometers worn on the wrist for a week helped measure movements, including brief bouts of vigorous activity that people often forget, they said.

The data was compared with the chances of dying or developing eight serious health conditions in the following seven years -- major cardiovascular disease, irregular heartbeat, type 2 diabetes, immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, liver disease, chronic respiratory diseases, chronic kidney disease and dementia.

"Participants with (more than) four per cent VPA (vigourous physical activity) had 29-61 per cent lower risks of these outcomes compared with those with 0 (zero) per cent VPA," the authors wrote.

For example, compared with those who did no vigorous activity at all, people with the highest levels had a 63 per cent lower risk of developing dementia, a 60 per cent lower risk of type 2 diabetes and 46 per cent lower risk of dying. These benefits were seen even with relatively small amount of exercise.

Shen said, "Vigorous physical activity appears to trigger specific responses in the body that lower-intensity activity cannot fully replicate. During vigorous physical activity -- the kind that makes you feel out of breath -- your body responds in powerful ways. Your heart pumps more efficiently, your blood vessels become more flexible, and your body improves its ability to use oxygen."

Further, intensity of vigorous activity appeared to be a key factor in lowering risk of inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and psoriasis.
"It (vigourous activity) may also stimulate chemicals in the brain that help keep brain cells healthy, which could help explain the lower risk of dementia," Shen said.

However, for conditions such as diabetes and chronic liver disease, both the duration and intensity they exercised for were found to be important.
The author recommended, "Adding short bursts of activity that make you slightly breathless into daily life, like taking the stairs quickly, walking fast between errands or playing actively with children, can make a real difference."

"Even 15 to 20 minutes per week of this kind of effort -- just a few minutes a day -- was linked to meaningful health benefits," Shen said.

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