The findings I want to share today aren’t exactly surprising. (I guess someone just had too many research dollars to burn on the obvious.)
But they are important… especially if you’re concerned about your heart as you age.
And it could even be a wake-up call to some of the younger people out there.
Because as it turns out, some of your favorite “leisure” activities are now linked to a higher stroke risk when compared to people who are more physically active—in YOUNGER adults.
Let’s take a closer look…
A much higher stroke risk
Researchers looked at health and lifestyle data from more than 140,000 Canadian adults with no personal history of stroke, heart disease, or cancer. They followed subjects for about a decade, on average, and identified stroke rates through hospital records.
They also reviewed the amount of sedentary leisure time participants clocked each day. This included hours spent on the computer, reading, or watching TV.
Then, they divided participants into four categories: Subjects who spent less than four hours a day being sedentary, those who spent between four and six hours being sedentary, those who spent six to eight hours being sedentary, and those who spent eight or more hours per day being sedentary.
Overall, average daily sedentary leisure time was 4.08 hours daily. Participants aged 60 years or younger clocked 3.9 daily hours of sedentary time on average. But that number jumped to 4.4 hours among adults aged 60 to 79, and to 4.3 hours among those aged 80 and older.
In the end, the subjects who were aged 60 or younger—and who spent eight or more hours being sedentary each day, with low physical activity—had more than quadruple the risk of stroke, compared to those with the least daily sedentary leisure time. The most inactive group, meanwhile, faced more than seven times the risk of stroke compared to their most active counterparts.
Translation: No one, at any age, is safe from the disastrous effects of “sitting disease.”
Rethinking “leisure” time
These findings are important, because stroke is not typically a condition that we associate with younger people.
However, since 2010, deaths from stroke have dropped among older adults over the age of 65. And we’ve seen a significant uptick among younger adults between the ages of 35 and 64 years—which is concerning.
Obviously, suffering from a stroke—in any capacity—isn’t fun. A mild stroke may leave you with very few residual symptoms… but a severe stroke can cause death or profound disability.
So it bears repeating: Nearly 90 percent of strokes are caused by risk factors that most people have the power to change—like a sedentary lifestyle.
The fact is, modifiable risk factors drive nearly all illnesses (as I reported earlier this week). And the more you can focus on adjusting your behavior and choices accordingly, the better your health is likely to be. Sedentary time is just one factor—but obviously, it’s a BIG one.
Statistics suggest that American adults spend more than ten hours a day, on average, hooked up to smartphones, computers, and TVs—and that adults between the ages of 50 and 64 are among the worst offenders.
But as this research reveals, this kind of “leisure” time could cost you your livelihood… and possibly even your life. So, please, for the millionth time…
Get up and do something, anything. Just move.
P.S. Daily movement will help protect your heart health as you age. But there are other things you can do, too. In fact, I outline them all in my Ultimate Heart-Protection Protocol. This innovative, online learning tool provides you with an all-natural plan to prevent America’s biggest killers—including stroke. To learn more, or to enroll today, click here now!
Source:
“Too much time on a computer, watching TV or other sedentary activities raises stroke risk.” Science Daily, 08/19/2021. (sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210819081501.htm)