Short Bouts of Physical Activity—Good for Health?
Menée à l'aide de données de la "UK Biobank" portant sur 22 398 adultes ne pratiquant pas d'activité physique (durée médiane de suivi : 6,7 ans ; âge moyen : 62 ans ; 55 % de femmes), cette étude estime la quantité minimale d'activité physique vigoureuse permettant de réduire le risque de cancer (2 356 cas)
The importance of lifestyle factors such as physical activity to decrease risk of common diseases is becoming increasingly clear from a growing number of studies and meta-analyses, although challenges in the interpretation of interstudy differences remain. The risk reduction for development of common noncommunicable diseases associated with being physically inactive has been shown to be substantial. A recent overview from the World Health Organization suggested that individuals who meet recommended levels of physical activity have a 20% to 30% reduced risk of premature death.Given the broad definition of physical activity as any movement that uses skeletal muscles and requires more energy than resting, the challenges of measuring, quantifying, and categorizing this exposure are clearly apparent. Physical activity includes a wide variety of movements that take place during an individual’s total awake time, whether through domestic chores, transportation, work, and/or leisure. Therefore, total physical activity is a combination of frequency, duration, and intensity (often categorized as vigorous, moderate, and light) of different types of physical activity. It is known that physical activity promotes general good health and endocrine, immunologic, and metabolic processes that are involved in preventing the development of various diseases. Not surprisingly, different types of physical activity may also give different health benefits. Aerobic physical activity, including running and fast biking, increases oxygen uptake and improves cardiovascular function in general, whereas anaerobic activity, such as resistance training with weights, helps to increase muscle strength and mass. To fully understand the benefits and associations of different types of physical activity, large and well-annotated studies that measure its frequency, intensity, and duration are essential.