Intense physical activity reduces the risk of stroke

Ten thousand steps and more. We know, and we repeat it often in this column, that physical inactivity is a public health scourge. It carries the risk of non-communicable diseases and premature death, warns the World Health Organization (WHO), which estimates that people who sit for a long time have a 20% to 30% chance of dying compared to people who sit for a long time. time. Energetic.

study It just showed that inactivity, along with a lack of physical activity — the two often go hand in hand — increases the risk of stroke. The higher the intensity of the activity, the lower the risk.

In France, at least 150 thousand people have a stroke every year, at the rate of one every four minutes, of whom 30 thousand die. “Strokes have long been described as a disease of the elderly, affecting an increasing number of middle-aged adults (particularly women under 55) with lifestyle changes (particularly increased lack of exercise and sedentary lifestyles) and the development of cardiovascular risk factors. . With tobacco smoking in the foreground”And the This was stated by the High Authority for Health (HAS) at the end of 2018.

In France, 150,000 people have a stroke every year, or one person every 4 minutes.

Let’s go back to this case. A team of researchers from San Diego State University (California, USA) analyzed data from 7,607 adults with a mean age of 63 years, from May 2009 to January 2013, with no vascular history. Accelerometers worn on the hip made it possible to track the pace and intensity of their movements for a week. The researchers measured sedentary time, light physical activity (walking around the house), and more vigorous activity such as brisk walking or cycling. Volunteers had to wear it for at least 16 hours a day. Results, after seven years: People who spent more than 13 of 16 hours sitting had a 44% higher risk of stroke than those who spent less than 11.8 hours sitting. Worse, every extra hour you spend sitting each day increases your risk of stroke by 14%.

specific effect

On the contrary, short periods of regular exercise were beneficial, refers to the study. “One of the strengths, given the number of people, is to emphasize the specific effect of physical activity, all else being equal to other stroke risk factors such as diabetes, arterial hypertension, obesity, tobacco…” Professor Matteo Zuber, Head of the Neurology Department of the Saint Joseph Hospital in Paris confirms.

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