The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends one hour of moderate-intensity activity every day during childhood although children today follow a lifestyle much more sedentary than ever before. Researchers at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (UNC), followed nearly 400 North Carolina children from childhood to their teenage years to see if activity level in childhood had any lasting effect later.

Their findings are quite alarming, with symptoms of heart disease showing up during the teenage years of the least active of the children. An inactive lifestyle during grade school raises the risk of heart disease during teen years by five or six times.

Researchers were particularly concerned with the link between activity levels in childhood and the onset of metabolic syndrome at an early age. The syndrome, often found in adults, is a precursor to diabetes and heart disease. Metabolic syndrome is characterized by a cluster of medical conditions that include obesity, hypertension, glucose intolerance, low HDL (good) cholesterol level, and a high level of triglycerides.

During grade school, the children in the study were tested for aerobic fitness and completed a survey of their typical physical activity levels. They were also measured for height, weight, and body fat and their blood pressure reading and cholesterol levels were taken.

When tested again seven years later, almost 5% of them had three or more factors that indicate the presence of metabolic syndrome. Children with the lowest levels of physical activity, less than 20 minutes of moderate intensity play each day, during grade school were the most likely to develop metabolic syndrome during their teens.

Speaking on behalf of the research team, Robert McMurray, a UNC professor of exercise and sports science, says the study shows an obvious link between physical activity during childhood and health risks later in life. He encourages paying more attention to our children’s activity level and encouraging physical fitness so as to minimize health risks later in life.

Source: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill