Adults younger than 60 whose days are filled with sedentary leisure time (including computer use, television, or reading) and little physical activity have a higher risk of stroke than people who are more physically active, according to new research published in ‘ Stroke ‘, a journal of the American Stroke Association.
According to statistics from the American Heart Association, American adults spend an average of 10.5 hours a day connected to media such as smartphones, computers or watching television, and adults aged 50 to 64 years are the most time spent connected to the media of all age groups, an average similar to that of many other countries.
The data also indicates that stroke-related deaths decreased in 2010 among adults 65 and older. However, death from stroke appears to be increasing among younger adults , ages 35 to 64, from 14.7 per 100,000 adults in 2010 to 15.4 per 100,000 in 2016.
Previous research suggests that the more time adults spend sedentary, the higher their risk of cardiovascular disease, including stroke, and nearly 9 out of 10 strokes could be attributed to modifiable risk factors , such as sedentary behaviors.
“Sedentary time is increasing, ” says study author Dr. Raed A. Joundi, a member of the department of clinical neuroscience at the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary, Canada. “Sedentary time is the duration of awake activities that are carried out sitting or lying down. Sedentary leisure time is specific to sedentary activities carried out while not working.”
He warns, “It is important to know whether a high amount of sedentary time can cause a stroke in young individuals , since a stroke can cause premature death or significantly impair function and quality of life.”
In this study, researchers reviewed the health and lifestyle information of 143,000 adults with no prior stroke , heart disease, or cancer who participated in the Canadian Community Health Survey in 2000, 2003, 2005, and 2007. -2012. The researchers followed the participants for an average of 9.4 years (through December 31, 2017) and identified strokes through links to hospital records.
They reviewed the amount of time they spent each day in sedentary leisure activities (hours spent at the computer , reading and watching television) and divided them into categories of less than four hours a day; four to less than six hours a day; six to less than eight hours a day; and eight hours or more a day.
They also divided physical activity into quartiles, or four equal categories, where the lowest quartile was the least physically active and was equivalent to taking a walk of 10 minutes or less a day . “A walk of 10 minutes or less a day is less than half what the American Heart Association’s physical activity guidelines recommend,” says Joundi.
The American Heart Association recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes, or 2.5 hours , of moderate-intensity physical activity a week.
According to the analysis of the study participants, during the follow-up period, an average of 9.4 years, 2,965 strokes occurred. Almost 90% of them were ischemic strokes , the most common type of stroke, which occurs when a vessel supplying blood to the brain becomes blocked.
The mean daily sedentary time among all participants was 4.08 hours. People aged 60 and under had an average sedentary leisure time of 3.9 hours a day . The mean daily sedentary leisure time was 4.4 hours for adults aged 60 to 79 years, and 4.3 hours for those aged 80 and over.
Adults aged 60 years and younger who did little physical activity and reported eight or more hours of sedentary leisure time per day had a 4.2 times greater risk of having a stroke compared to those who reported less than four hours of leisure time. sedentary leisure per day.
The most inactive group – those who reported eight or more hours of sedentary time and little physical activity – had a 7 times greater risk of suffering a stroke compared to those who reported less than four hours of sedentary time per day and higher levels of activity physical.
“Adults aged 60 and younger should be aware that a very high sedentary period with little time of physical activity can have adverse health effects, including an increased risk of stroke, ” says Joundi. “Physical activity plays a very important role, as it reduces the actual time spent sedentary and also seems to decrease the negative impact of excessive sedentary time.”
It points out that “the recommendations of physicians and public health policies should emphasize increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary time among young adults, in combination with other healthy habits, to reduce the risks of cardiovascular events. and of cerebrovascular accidents “.
