Study says childhood inactivity is linked to heart ailment, know what prevention can be taken

A recent study conducted by the University of Bristol and the University of Eastern Finland stated that performing little activity in childhood is associated with heart enlargement, which progressed with an increase in time spent sitting or being inactive.

According to the experts, light physical activity may mitigate the risk associated with heart enlargement. An excessive increase in heart mass and size, known as left ventricular hypetrophy, is a known risk factor for heart attacks, stroke and premature death in adults. However, light physical activity of about three or four hours a day, including running and playing outdoor games, was found to reverse the increase in heart mass.

"There is growing evidence that childhood sedentariness is a health threat that needs to be taken seriously," Andrew Agbaje, a physician and an associate professor of clinical epidemiology and child health at the University of Eastern Finland, said.

For the study, the researchers followed nearly 1,700 children from the UK's University of Bristol's 'Children of the 90s cohort' from age 11 until 24 years. At the start of the study, the children spent about six hours a day performing sedentary activities, which increased to nine hours a day as they became young adults.

Participants had accelerometer devices on their waists at ages 11, 15, and 24 for 4-7 days to track movement. At ages 17 and 24, echocardiography measured heart structure and function.

Other aspects like lifestyle factors and socio-economic status were also analysed, along with fasting blood samples for cholesterol, glucose, insulin and C-reactive protein -- an indicator of inflammation.

The researchers found that over a period of seven years, during which the adolescents grew into young adults, the heart enlargement associated with the increase in sedentary time contributed 40 per cent to the total increase in heart mass.

The team also found that light physical activity over the entire follow-up period reduced the increase in heart mass by about half.

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