Physical inactivity may cause more heart disease than smoking, obesity, or high blood pressure according to a new study in Australian women older than 30 years (medscape/viewarticle/824901?src=wnl_edit_tpal&uac=27286FX.) The study was published online May 8 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. A previous study of the top 10 risk factors for disease worldwide put high blood pressure at the top, followed by smoking and air pollution from solid fuels. However, circumstances are different in Australia than in other parts of the world. For example, Australians do not burn much solid fuel. Therefore, the study set out to quantify the changing contribution made to a womans likelihood of developing heart disease across her lifetime for each of the known top 4 risk factors in Australia: excess weight, smoking, high blood pressure, and physical inactivity. Up to the age of 30 years, smoking was the most important contributor to heart disease. In contrast, low and no physical activity accounted for more than 50% of heart disease in women aged 31 to 36 years. The researchers estimate that if every Australian woman were able to reach the recommended weekly exercise of (150 minutes of moderately intensity physical activity), then the lives of more than 2000 middle-aged and older women could be saved each year. Continuing efforts to curb smoking among the young are warranted, but much more emphasis should be placed on physical inactivity, which they say, has been dwarfed by the current focus on overweight and obesity.
Posted on: Fri, 09 May 2014 21:17:13 +0000
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