Reduce Your Risk For Chronic Disease With Long-Term Physical Activity

Introduction

What does cancer, diabetes, and heart disease all have in common? They make up a broader classification that is, chronic disease. Chronic disease is by far the leading cause of death world wide where it is responsible for seven out of every ten deaths, stacking to an overwhelming 1.7 million deaths per year in the U.S. alone. While most people understand that physical activity will improve their overall health, most people don't understand the full impact of implementing physical activity as a preventative measure for reducing the occurrence of chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

                  

☝Cancer, diabetes, and heart disease are also the leading drivers of the United State's $3.5 trillion annual healthcare costs according to the CDC.

Why don't we exercise?

Increasing in age as an adult is generally associated with a decrease in physical activity, muscle mass, and an increase in fat mass. Additionally, 31 million adults ages 50 or older consider themselves physically inactive. 

When we are younger, it is much easier to be active. Whether it be in youth sport or unstructured   leisure activity, we are generally most physically active during our earlier years. And as we grow older, physical activity becomes less of an interest or priority as we generally find it much harder to fit into our day. I'm sure most adults would agree that adulthood is filled with more responsibility, more tasks, and therefore much less time. 

While life getting in the way is an understandable excuse for temporary physical inactivity, one of the goals of my research was to demonstrate just how beneficial physical activity is as a preventative and treatment method for chronic disease. So much that individuals who aren't necessarily concerned with longevity will feel an incentive to change their habits.

Reviewing the literature

Research has shown that implementing sustained long-term physical activity can significantly reduce the risk for developing chronic disease risk factors. These include:

• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• High cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia)
• overweight/obesity 
• Raised blood sugar (hyperglycemia)  

Further research has shown that physical activity will improve conditions related to a chronic disease such as hypertension, BMI, hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia, as well as improve overall disease prognoses.

Other benefits found in research describe how adding some sort of physical activity into daily/weekly routine can improve:

• Cognitive function
• Digestion
• Mental Health/Wellbeing
• Sleep quality 

☝A study by Riddell et al. showed that by implementing a sustained physical activity, an individual can reduce their risk for type II diabetes by almost 40%.

☝Research known as The Busselton Health Study showed that by fulfilling the recommendation of 150 minutes of physical activity per week (2.5 hours total), an individual can reduce their risk for "all-cause" mortality by 21% and their risk of developing cardiovascular disease by 22%.

☝Another study done by Gerber et al. showed that regular physical activity reduces the risk of dying compared to a sedentary lifestyle following a myocardial infarction (heart attack) by almost 50% regardless of prior habits.

 

Being Realistic 

The fact of the matter is that 150 minutes of weekly activity may seem like a lot. If you can think of other activities you do throughout a week, you can begin to understand why 2.5 hours of physical activity really isn't that much. You may spend that time in one day watching a movie. Many people nowadays spend at least 2 hours on their cell phone looking at social media, news, etc. The good news is that you can spread your physical activity out throughout the week. You can even break it up into smaller chunks throughout the day. The key is finding what works best for you. Rather than focussing on meeting the recommendation each week, start by finding an activity that you enjoy. While walking or jogging on a treadmill a few times a week may work for some people, others may find it easier doing more competitive or interesting activities.

Physical activities may include:

• Walking/Running 
• Hiking
• Biking
• Playing Basketball
• Swimming
• Doing Yard Work

~ Understand that exercise is medicine. Don’t wait until tomorrow! ~

       

For more information visit:

1. Adults Need More Physical Activity
2. Physical Inactivity Among Adults Aged 50 Years and Older — United States, 2014
3. Lack of exercise is a major cause of chronic diseases

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About the author

Ryan Morais is a senior at Westfield State University, studying Movement Science with a concentration in Sports Medicine. Following graduation, he plans to pursue a career as a physician assistant. He can be contacted via email at rmorais8352@westfield.ma.edu

References:

1.      Brown, R. E., Riddell, M. C., Macpherson, A. K., Canning, K. L., & Kuk, J. L. (2014). All-cause and cardiovascular mortality risk in u.s. adults with and without type 2 diabetes: influence of physical activity, pharmacological treatment and glycemic control. Journal of Diabetes and Its Complications, 28(3), 311–5. https://www-proquest-com.scroll.lib.westfield.ma.edu/docview/1518507162?accountid=619
2.     Gerber, Y., Myers, V., Goldbourt, U., Benyamini, Y., Scheinowitz, M., & Drory, Y. (2011). Long-term trajectory of leisure time physical activity and survival after first myocardial infarction: a population-based cohort study. European Journal of Epidemiology, 26(2), 109–116. https://www-jstor-org.scroll.lib.westfield.ma.edu/stable/pdf/41474216.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3A44c0b60f92bac348075c2764791942b6     
3. Lundqvist, S., Börjesson, M., Cider, Å., Hagberg, L., Ottehall, C. B., Sjostrom, J. & Larsson, M. E. H. (2020). Long-term physical activity on prescription intervention for patients with insufficient physical activity level—a randomized controlled trial. Trials 21, 793. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-020-04727-y
4.      Gunnell, A., Knuiman, M., Divitini, M., & Cormie, P. (2014). Leisure time physical activity and long-term cardiovascular and cancer outcomes: The Busselton Health Study. European Journal of Epidemiology, 29(11), 851-857.https://www-jstor-     org.scroll.lib.westfield.ma.edu/stable/43775039?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents