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Prolonged periods of sitting and watching television causes a THREE-FOLD increased risk of developing a walking difficulty in later life, a new study has shown. The study, which followed a group of healthy people between the ages of 50 and 71 for 10 years, found that prolonged sitting was particularly harmful when combined with low levels of physical activity.Participants who watched 5 or more hours of TV per day had a 65% greater risk of reporting a mobility disability at the study’s end, compared with those who watched the least amounts of TV (less than 2 hours per day) – regardless of their level of physical activity.
However, those who had 3 hours per week or less of physical activity were found to be even more likely to have difficulty walking by the end of the study.
“Sitting and watching TV for long periods (especially in the evening) has got to be one of the most dangerous things that older people can do,” said Professor Loretta DiPietro, lead author of the study from George Washington University in Washington, DC.
This study comes a week after Public Health England announced the country is facing a shocking health time-bomb due to inactivity. The survey showed that more than six million middle-aged Brits fail to manage a single brisk 10 minute walk in a month. “As we age, the less we use our muscles, the worse they become in terms of quantity AND quality,” said Dr James Brown from Aston University and trustee of the British Society for Research on Ageing.
Benefits of walking
The minimum recommended amount of exercise is ten minutes walking at brisk intensity every day.This benefits inactive adults the most as it gets the heart pumping in order to improve health.Research shows that anyone completing that would be 15% less likely to have an early death, 40% less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes, 35% less likely to suffer heart problems and 30% less likely to get dementia.
Source: Mirror
