Sedentary Lifestyle Linked to Higher Risk of 19 Health Conditions: Study
Comments
Link successfully copied
A woman walks down Michigan Avenue in Chicago on Oct. 19, 2006. (Jeff Haynes/AFP via Getty Images)
By Naveen Athrappully
1/4/2025Updated: 1/6/2025

People who lead a sedentary life, uncommitted to physical exercise, face a higher risk of various health issues, including diabetes, hypertension, and heart failure, a new study confirms.

A peer-reviewed study, published on Jan. 2 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in its Preventing Chronic Disease journal, investigated how physical engagement is linked to health.

After analyzing hospital data of 7,261 adult patients, the study concluded that physically active individuals had “significantly lower diastolic blood pressure, resting pulse, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides, and significantly higher HDL cholesterol” compared to those less active.

Individuals who exercised more had significantly lower rates of as many as 19 inactivity-related conditions, including anemia deficiency, chronic pulmonary disease, depression, uncomplicated hypertension, complicated hypertension, obesity, mild liver disease, drug abuse, hypothyroidism, psychoses, weight loss, uncomplicated diabetes, complicated diabetes, congestive heart failure, neurologic disorders affecting movement, peripheral vascular disease, valvular disease, neurologic seizures, and autoimmune disorders.

For their study, researchers collected data from surveys submitted by patients during their hospital admission process between November 2017 and December 2022.

The survey asked two simple questions related to their exercise habits—how many days per week they engaged in exercises and the time spent on such activities.

Patients were divided into three segments, with 60 percent being physically active, 36 percent insufficiently active, and 4 percent inactive.

The activity level directly corresponded to medical conditions, with inactive individuals suffering a mean of 2.2 medical conditions, which fell to 1.5 among insufficiently active people and 1.2 for active individuals.

The study defines “active” people as those who reported at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-vigorous exercise, while “insufficiently active” people were those who reported 1 to 149 minutes per week.

Researchers stated that the findings support “regularly screening patients for inactivity and providing inactive patients with resources to promote physical activity.”

The study was funded by the Stead Family Children’s Hospital at the University of Iowa. The authors, affiliated with the University of Iowa, did not list any potential conflicts of interest.

Tackling a Sedentary Lifestyle

A study published last year found that walking 10,000 steps daily could reduce the ill health effects of a sedentary lifestyle, with the risk of cardiovascular disease down by 21 percent and the risk of death down by 39 percent.

Matthew Ahmadi, lead author, clarified that while increasing the daily step count is beneficial, it is not an excuse to sit for long periods of time.

“This is by no means a get out of jail card for people who are sedentary for excessive periods of time,” he said. “However, it does hold an important public health message that all movement matters and that people can and should try to offset the health consequences of unavoidable sedentary time by upping their daily step count.”

The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion has issued guidelines for American adults on healthy physical activity.

Adults should “move more and sit less” on a daily basis. Some physical activity, no matter how little, is better than none at all, the guidelines state.

“For substantial health benefits, adults should do at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) to 300 minutes (5 hours) a week of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) to 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity.”

Alternatively, they should consider doing “an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity.” Aerobic exercise should be spread throughout the week.

The agency also recommended that adults do muscle-strengthening exercise of moderate or greater intensity on at least two days per week. These exercises should involve all major muscle groups in the body, it said, adding that such activities offer additional health benefits.

As for older adults, if they cannot do moderate-intensity aerobic activities for 150 minutes per week because they suffer from chronic conditions, “they should be as physically active as their abilities and conditions allow,” the guidelines state.

Share This Article:
Naveen Athrappully is a news reporter covering business and world events at The Epoch Times.

©2023-2025 California Insider All Rights Reserved. California Insider is a part of Epoch Media Group.