April 15, 2003 – Thirty minutes of moderate physical exercise a day is just for peace of mind and has no beneficial impact on your health, say British researchers.
These researchers have indeed established that, contrary to what is put forward by several organizations such as the World Health Organization, half an hour of brisk walking, for example, is not enough to fight cardiovascular disease and the associated risk of premature death.
The same is true for moderate intensity activities, such as golf and dancing, or light intensity, such as bowling and sailing. Only strenuous activities, such as rock climbing, hiking, swimming, snowshoeing, and running, would be effective.
These findings are based on a 10-year study of 2,000 men aged 45 to 59. All were in good health when the study began. As might be expected, those who were the least physically active had the highest incidence of premature death, and those who were most active the lowest.
The surprise is in the group of men whose level of physical activity was light or moderate, since no health benefits were detected.
The study is however accompanied by several caveats. First, the participants were asked about their level of physical activity at the start of the study, but no follow-up was done afterwards. So their habits may have changed along the way. Also, we cannot dismiss out of hand all these studies which, over the years, have affirmed that even moderate physical exercise is beneficial for health.1.
Jean-Benoit Legault – PasseportSanté.net
According to BBC News and CBS News, April 15, 2003.
1. Morris CK, Froelicher VF. Cardiovascular benefits of improved exercise capacity.Med Sports 1993 Oct; 16 (4): 225-36. [Consulté le 15 avril 2003].
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