Sports

Being inactive at a young age can have far-reaching consequences on heart health in terms of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in middle age, says a study. So the sooner you incorporate an exercise routine in your life, the better you will be able to prevent heart disease. “Regular physical activity is protective at any stage of life and the penalty of childhood inactivity can be minimised by fitness-enhancing activity. It is best, however, to build that fitness from early years, rather than leave it too late,” says top cardiologist Dr K Srinath Reddy, honorary distinguished professor at the Public Health Foundation of India.

What does the study say?

At the University of Jyväskylä, researchers showed that low cardiorespiratory fitness in adolescence was associated with a higher burden of cardiometabolic conditions between the ages of 57 and 64. The study is significant because it was conducted over 45 years, combining the participants’ fitness test data from adolescence (12–19 years) with information on diabetes, hypertension and coronary heart disease. Their waist circumference was measured from the ages of 37 to 44 and 57 to 64 years. That’s how a cardiometabolic risk score was arrived at to assess disease burden. It is a good predictive model, according to Dr Reddy.

What are reasons for low levels of cardiorespiratory fitness in adolescence?

According to Dr Reddy, “Low levels of cardiorespiratory fitness in adolescence may be the result of poor nutrition in the womb and early childhood or a school and social environment that places a high premium on academic learning at the expense of physical activity. All such factors must be addressed to prevent young persons from growing up with compromised health and paying a price in later life.”

Says Dr Milind Gadkari, Head of the Department of Cardiology, KEM Hospital. “Schools should actively encourage students to exercise. There has to be a conducive environment which not only focusses on academics but also on sports and physical activities,” he adds.

At a conservative estimate, teenagers should get at least 30 minutes of exercise five to six days a week though 60 minutes are considered ideal. Sometimes sharing chores helps too.