About Careers MedBlog Contact us
Medindia LOGIN REGISTER
Advertisement

Some Physical Activity is Better Than None

by Bidita Debnath on October 16, 2016 at 10:17 PM
Font : A-A+

 Some Physical Activity is Better Than None

If you are unable to achieve the target of taking 10,000 steps daily then go for smaller number but with greater intensity as it can prove to be equally beneficial for your health, suggests a new study at Oregon State University.

It's especially helpful if 3,000 of the steps come at a brisk pace and limiting sedentary time also plays a role in healthy readings for cholesterol and other risk factors. Lead author of the study John Schuna said, "Some physical activity is better than none, and typically more is better than less." "When it comes to steps, more is better than fewer, and steps at higher cadences for a significant amount of time are beneficial. A good target for healthy adults is 150 minutes per week spent at 100 or more steps per minute. And in terms of time spent sedentary, less is better - you want to spend as little time not moving as possible within reason," he added.

Advertisement


He analyzed data from 3,388 participants aged 20 and older in a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The research builds on earlier studies, many of which relied on self-reported estimates of activity levels, which tend to run high or accelerometer data using proprietary output measures (e.g., activity counts/minute) and also failed to take cadence - steps per minute, into account.

A cadence of 100 steps per minute or greater is widely accepted as the threshold for moderate-intensity activity in adults. In addition to minute-by-minute step data, the researchers looked at relationships between step-defined physical activity and various cardio metabolic risk factors for the survey participants - such as waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting glucose, insulin, and cholesterol levels, as well as body mass index. Beyond just total step counts, the research looked at daily 'peak 30-minute cadence' - the average number of steps in a participant's most vigorous 30 minutes, which weren't necessarily consecutive minutes.
Advertisement

To measure sedentary time, researchers used the percentage of accelerometer time per day that showed no step-based movement. Among all survey participants, only the top quintile had a median peak cadence, 96 steps per minute - that was in line with accepted physical activity guidelines of 30 minutes a day at 100 steps per minute. Nevertheless, analysis across all quintiles showed a strong relationship between higher cadences - walking more briskly as opposed to less briskly and favorable numbers in the cardiometabolic risk categories.

The same held true for number of steps, whether above or below the 10,000-step threshold. And higher percentages of sedentary time were linked to less-favorable values in several risk factors. "One of the questions has always been, what if one person with 10,000 steps per day accumulates nearly all of them in a two-hour time block, and another stretches them over 15 hours - does it matter in terms of health effects?" Schuna said.

Adding, "This is a big debate in the field, with a couple of intertwined questions. Current evidence does suggest that moderate to vigorous activity and sedentary time have a certain amount of independence from each other in terms of health effects. But if you're getting two or three hours of moderate to vigorous activity every day, even if you're relatively sedentary the rest of the time, it's hard to imagine the sedentary time would completely ameliorate or wipe out the health benefits associated with that level of activity." A person, who averages 10,000 or more steps/day typically, accumulates at least 150 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous activity, Schuna said.

Adding, "Now there is an additional caveat regarding the manner in which physical activity is accumulated to meet current physical activity guidelines, which states that aerobic activity should be accumulated in bouts of at least 10 minutes in duration." "If we take this into consideration, it becomes more difficult to determine whether or not someone is meeting the physical activity guidelines using step counts alone. That aside, averaging 10,000 or more steps/day puts you in the top 15 percent of adults in terms of step-defined physical activity," he further said.

Source: ANI
Advertisement

Advertisement
Advertisement

Recommended Reading

Latest General Health News

More Than 300 People on Texas-Mexico Cruise Ship Fall Sick
Over 300 people had fallen sick with illness caused by Norovirus on a US cruise ship, say authorities.
 No Smoking Day 2023: Ex-smokers in Wakefield Lead the Campaign
Ex-smokers in Wakefield have shared their stories to encourage others to give up cigarettes on No Smoking Day 2023 which falls on 8th March.
New Protein Linked to Neurodegeneration
Total levels of m6A in the nervous system rise with age and that (some) neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by RNA hypermethylation.
How Stress Disrupts Maturation of Brain's Reward Circuits?
New study provides insights into the impact of early-life adversity on brain development and on control of reward behaviors that underlie emotional disorders
 Indonesia Partners With FIND for Diagnostic Testing Access Initiative
Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia signed a formal memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will expand access to essential diagnostics in the country.
View All
This site uses cookies to deliver our services.By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Cookie Policy, Privacy Policy, and our Terms of Use  Ok, Got it. Close
×

Some Physical Activity is Better Than None Personalised Printable Document (PDF)

Please complete this form and we'll send you a personalised information that is requested

You may use this for your own reference or forward it to your friends.

Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice.

Name *

Email Address *

Country *

Areas of Interests