Sedentary Behavior Linked To Heart Strain In Teens
Being a couch potato during childhood can make the heart work harder as kids enter their teens. That’s according to a study by researchers at the University of Jyväskylä and the University of Eastern Finland, who tracked sedentary behavior and physical activity levels of 153 children for eight years. They found that high levels of sedentary behavior and low levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity during childhood and adolescence resulted in an increased cardiac workload in adolescence. This pattern of inactivity was also associated with a higher total body fat percentage. The findings underscore the importance of increasing physical activity — particularly moderate to vigorous activity — reducing sedentary behavior, and maintaining a healthy weight from childhood to help prevent cardiac concerns later in life.
Source
ahajournals/doi/10.1161/JAHA.123.031837
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