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RESULTS FROM A new study have shown that just one hour of physical activity could offset the negative health effects of eight hours of sitting down a day.
The results come from a four paper series published today in UK medical journal The Lancet.
They show that one hour a day of physical activity, such as brisk walking, cycling for leisure or jogging can help negate the bad effects of sitting down for more than eight hours a day.
Physical inactivity is linked to a number of serious health problems, including an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.
Figures show that it is responsible for over five million deaths per year.
As well as this, the series carried out the first global economic analysis of physical inactivity and found that it costs the world economy $67.5 billion (€61.3 billion) a year in health care costs and lost productivity.
The series is being launched ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics, with the authors stating that too little progress has been made in tackling the “global pandemic” of physical inactivity since the 2012 London Olympics.
A quarter of adults worldwide still fail to meet the current recommendations on physical activity.
The Series
The series was broken up into four individual papers with each examining a different aspect of the impact of physical inactivity.
Paper one looked at the link between physical activity and the risk of death.
Researchers analysed data from over a million people from 16 separate studies. People were generally over 45 and from the USA, Western Europe and Australia.
They divided participants into four groups based on how active they were – fewer than five minutes a day for the lowest group and up to 60-75 minutes a day for the highest.
The research found that people who sat for eight hours but were physically active otherwise had a much lower chance of dying than people who may have sat for less hours a day but were not physically active.
(Physical activity is described as brisk walking at 5.6 km/h or cycling for pleasure at 16 km/h).
People who sat for eight hours a day but did a minimum of one hour of physical activity were found to have no increased risk of death as a result.
People who sat for long hours and were inactive had the highest risk of death.
“For many people who commute to work and have office-based jobs, there is no way to escape sitting for prolonged periods of time,” said Professor Ulf Ekelund, the lead author of the paper.
For these people in particular, we cannot stress enough the importance of getting exercise, whether it’s getting out for a walk at lunchtime, going for a run in the morning or cycling to work.
Economic burden
The second paper in the series looked at the economic burden physical inactivity has on countries.
It found that the total cost in 2013 of physical inactivity was $67.5 billion (€61.3 billion) worldwide.
In the US alone for that year the the economic burden was $27.8 billion (€25.2 billion), compared to R$3.3 billion in Brazil, £1.7 billion in the UK and AUS$805 million in Australia.
In Ireland, physical inactivity cost the State €150 million in 2013.
“The current economic cost of physical inactivity is borne mainly by high income countries,” said lead author Dr Melody Ding of the University of Sydney.
Our study makes the economic case for a global response to promote physical activity to tackle diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and some cancers, with the aim of reducing health inequalities.
The third paper examined the progress in developing national policies for dealing with physical inactivity in the populace since the 2012 Olympic Games.
The authors concluded that not enough progress had been made.
“In the past four years, more countries have been monitoring progress in physical activity, but evidence of any improvements is scarce,” said lead author Professor Jim Sallis of the University of California San Diego.
The fourth paper examined smarter approaches to physical activity.
The papers can be viewed in full here
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Just got the highest electricity bill since the start of the inflation, though usage lower than year before.
@GoodBrother: Haven’t used any Gas since February yet the standing charge may aswell say i was …disgraceful
@Trent: Roughly a euro per day. No usage and still the bill is €60+. Before C-19 my gas bill used to be about €45 – 50 all in.
@GoodBrother: Really. Inflation has been creeping up for well over a year now, nearly 2. Unless you used zero electricity until this bill, or were locked into a really low tariff for almost 2 years, then I do not believe this is your highest bill since inflation started to rise.
@GoodBrother: I got probably one of my lowest one,since the smart meter went in my bills are going down,I can see what is driving my bill.
We are now the most expensive country in Europe to live in. I never imagined we’d be more pricey than Switzerland or Norway. Thank you, FFG. Also on track to become the most obese.14 million each day for our national debt of $250 billion. Third-world heat care systems. the capital’s inner city is rife with violence and drugs. As a country, we are regressing.
Worked hard all my life as a chef to save enough for my own buisness watching it all dwindled away look after there own big hotels cashing in a fortune on migrants while the small tourists buisness get a slap on the face .
There is no end to being RIP of Ireland
@Paul Maguire: unless you are a dole merchant, then you get everything paid for ,
@James Moylan: Said the Kerry man to the bull.
Stop voting FF/FG ye thick muppets, let SF in, we need a change..but in all fairness this open door my documents, come in my friends has to stop. I was walking around Ennis, Co Clare the other, For a bit I thought I was in the suburbs of Mogadishu, only the rip off cost of a pint and newspaper brought me back to drizzleville.
@will o bdee: The shiners will be the same, they will be forced to stay in line, easy to promise the Earth in opposition, but it will either be business as usual or populist policies will lead to medium to long term problems. either way, I cannot see it SF doing any better than the current shower of tool bags.
Mortgage through the roof. Extra 600 a month meant pulling kids outa 3rd level education…
@Monty Carlow: Go on the dole and get mortgage paid by state, medical card, plus many more perks including grants for third level etc. etc.
@paulinlavally@gmail.com: It was the Bankers and Developers that collapsed the Irish economy.
Greed rife at the moment. Could list crisis after crisis but I can’t be bothered
But yeah it was the guy on the dole.
Look up lad.
@Monty Carlow: get them to learn Ukrainian or Arabic ,free everything from then on
@Monty Carlow: do a deal with the bank and keep your kids in 3rd level. Education is the key to a decent job
@Monty Carlow: Must be a big mortgage,mine is going up €38 a month in September,hope you’re kids are working to help with college.
@Monty Carlow: go to the docks near customs during the night,row out some,rip up you’re passport row in early morning,say you’ve amnesia or lost you’re passport rowing,they’re lost on flights available when they’re boarding, lost when landing it’s amazing in a completely sealed aircraft how it can happen shouldn’t be hard to understand in a boat I’d imagine…
In who’s opinion? absolute rubbish,it’s through the roof and slowly but surely rising in different segments be it food, electricity and fuel which will again increase in october,perfect timing when kids go back to school and cold weather kicks in and people need heating oil which they’ve been putting off keeping they’re heads above water at present and we might get help with more money from government, what money? it’s all going up again they’ve said it already the payment won’t outway the cost to the average person we lose again.
Tighten your belts. Store tins of beans. This is the peak.
That’s complete media tripe. Are you trying to feed people carrots on sticks
Buy less
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