It’s no secret that exercise provides numerous health benefits. In contrast, not being active comes with many consequences and is even linked to premature death, regardless of your BMI. A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that inactivity is responsible for twice as many deaths as obesity, and even minor increases in physical activity can be significantly helpful.
In the study, researchers investigated the relationships between obesity, physical inactivity, and premature death. They studied 334,161 European men and women for an average of 12.4 years, assessing their baseline height, weight, waist circumference, and level of physical activity and looking at links between these factors and mortality.
Image Source: Digital Vision
They observed that the biggest change in the risk of premature death was between the two most inactive groups; going from “inactive” (22.7% of participants) to “moderately inactive” resulted in a 16-30% decreased risk of premature death, as estimated from analyzing data. According to the researchers, even a moderate amount of daily exercise, such as a brisk 20 minute walk every day, is enough to reduce your risk of premature death.
Using outside data, the researchers also approximated that obesity was responsible for 337,000 premature deaths of European men and women, and inactivity was responsible for 676,000, roughly twice the amount from obesity.
The good news is that you don’t have to spend hours at the gym to get health benefits; small changes here and there can really pay off. No matter what your exercise preferences are, the point is to get moving. Physical activity is just not something you should skimp on.
Feature Image Source: lazy day (09-25-08) by Katy Warner
