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amount of exercise.
Researchers call the study a wake-up call for couch potatoes of all sizes.
Researchers found that 30 minutes of exercise can add an average of 3,5 extra “good” years to one’s life. Higher intensity exercise was found to boast even greater results — an additional 4,2 years. There is a stigma that overweight people are always sick and skinny people are generally healthy.
The research highlights that one’s weight and body type do not always matter. Choosing a healthy lifestyle and implementing proactive, preventative techniques like diet and exercise work for people of all waist sizes.
Obesity, BMI and longevity
Obesity is infamous for causing diabetes and heart disease. BMI is a ratio of an individual’s height to weight. A similar study has found waist size to be more useful than BMI in predicting the risk factors of disease. This system’s effectiveness has been under question as it fails to distinguish between physical fitness, muscle mass and the amount of body fat.
It should be no surprise that exercise is good for you and will help you live longer but sadly the number of inactive people are growing. As many as one in six deaths can be linked to physical inactivity, according to another groundbreaking 2012 study published in The Lancet.
Dr I-Min Lee, the lead researcher from Harvard Medical School, said: “Only about one quarter of the world’s population smokes, but about two-thirds are inactive.”
The new study that is published in the journal PLoS Medicine also notes that an obese individual could be metabolically healthier than a sedentary, normal-weight one. They found that life expectancy could soar with as little as 2,5 hours of moderate exercise and 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week.
This column is directed by your questions, comments and inquiries. The health advice provided is in collaboration with the World Health Organisation’s goals of disease prevention and global healthcare education. Views do not necessarily reflect endorsement. Email: [email protected]
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