According to new research, there is a concerning link between being sedentary or performing little activity in childhood and heart health issues later, reports PTI.
The study, conducted by Andrew Agbaje and his team at the University of Eastern Finland, focused on nearly 1,700 participants from the 'Children of the 90s cohort' over a 13-year period, states PTI.
An excessive increase in heart mass and size, known as left ventricular hypertrophy, is a known risk factor for heart attacks, stroke and premature death in adults.
However, light physical activity of about three or four hours a day, including running errands and playing outdoor games, was found to reverse the increase in heart mass, with more of such activity being associated with better cardiac function, according to researchers who observed child and adolescent participants for 13 years, states PTI.
"There is growing evidence that childhood sedentariness is a health threat that needs to be taken seriously," said Andrew Agbaje, who is also a physician and an Associate Professor of Clinical Epidemiology and Child Health at the University of Eastern Finland.
"There must be a paradigm shift in how we view childhood sedentariness, as the mounting evidence is pointing at a ticking time bomb," Agbaje said.
For the study, the researchers followed nearly 1,700 children from the UK's University of Bristol's 'Children of the 90s cohort' from age 11 until 24 years. The amount of time spent being sedentary increased as the participants transitioned into young adulthood, from about six hours a day to nine hours a day.
The participants wore accelerometer devices (for tracking movement) on their waists at ages 11, 15, and 24 years for four to seven days and had echocardiography measurements taken of their heart structure and function at ages 17 and 24 years.
Together with fasting blood samples for measuring levels of insulin, glucose, cholesterol, and C-reactive protein — a sign of inflammation — other factors such as lifestyle choices and socioeconomic level were also examined, according to PTI.
