General Physical Activity (The sweet spot)

[James Marusek 5,244]

Researchers in the United States and Australia conducted a meta-analysis of 174 studies published between 1980 and 2016 that examined the effect of exercise on five chronic diseases: breast cancer, colon cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

Study authors observed that, to a certain point, the more a person exercised, the lower his or her risk of all five conditions. But the sweet spot for health gains occurred when individuals had a total activity level of 3000-4000 metabolic equivalent (MET) minutes a week, according to a news release. Benefits halted beyond an activity level of 4000 MET minutes a week.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/08/10/researchers-identify-amount-exercise-needed-to-lower-risk-5-diseases.html

So what is an MET and how do you compute it?

http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/physical/pdf/pa_intensity_table_2_1.pdf

So if I walk 30 minutes per day, that would be around 100 METs per day and I do it every day. That would give me around 700 METs for the week. That is not much of a dent towards the activity level they indicate is optimal. So I guess that: Researchers’ results, which were published Tuesday in The BMJ, suggest current World Health Organization recommendations for a minimum total physical activity level of 600 MET minutes a week across different domains of life may be insufficient.

The ideal amount of METs requires a lot of exercise. I guess if someone was solely focused on physical activity/exercise to stay healthy, one would have to spend an inordinate amount of time exercising each day. But if you combine diet (weight loss) and exercise, perhaps that same sweet spot could be achieved in a more balanced approach.

[Cervidae 2,389]

Very interesting, thanks for posting! You always post such great articles.

[j16 166]

I agree! I am so grateful for these posts on the latest research studies.

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