Exercise and health

Citation

(2012), "Exercise and health", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 42 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/nfs.2012.01742baa.005

Exercise and health

Article Type: Food facts From: Nutrition & Food Science, Volume 42, Issue 2

Exercise could be used to prevent or even treat a whole range of physical and mental health conditions, according to research revealed by eminent scientists. The findings of scientific research were presented to a packed audience including HRH The Princess Royal, health professionals and academics, at the conference, organised by the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) to highlight the potential for physical activity to reduce the risk of and help treat diseases as diverse as cancer, diabetes and dementia.

The conference delegates heard that regular physical activity influences many aspects of human health but that compelling evidence was emerging in specific areas of interest including cancer. According to Professor John M. Saxton of the University of East Anglia, research now shows that physical exercise can help to prevent some cancers, as well as having significant benefits in helping the survivors of most common cancers maintain their quality of life. Physical activity has also now been shown to have significant positive effects on mental health, with research presented by Professor Ken Fox of the University of Bristol suggesting that being regularly active can reduce the risk of diseases of the mind by as much as 20-30 percent.

It is well known that physical activity burns calories and can help with weight loss and maintenance. What is less well known is that regular physical activity helps maintain and also create lean body tissue (muscle), which is particularly important as we get older as muscle loss can limit independence. The additional muscle tissue built by regular physical activity is also more metabolically active, which means that, even when a physically active person is not moving they will often use more calories than a habitually inactive person. Dr David Stensel of the University of Loughborough presented research findings to show that, alongside this, being active can also help fight hunger, actually suppressing appetite after intense exercise and increasing levels of the satiety hormones that contribute to a sense of fullness.

Diabetes is also a huge problem in the UK and conference delegates heard from Dr Ashley Cooper of the University of Bristol that regular activity can provide a major part of the solution. By working muscles, they become more efficient at using the sugar in the blood, which can help control blood sugar. Importantly, scientific research shows that regular physical activity can reduce the risk of getting type 2 diabetes by up to 50 percent. For those with pre-diabetes, who have problems with controlling their blood sugar, exercise can delay or even prevent the onset of full-blown type 2 diabetes. And those suffering from type 2 diabetes can significantly reduce the negative side effects of the disease by maintaining regular physical activity.

Official recommendations are that all adults should do at least 150 min of moderate level physical activity each week and that children should be active for at least an hour each day. It is estimated that only 40 percent of men and 28 percent of women achieve these levels and that although children tend to be quite active when young, levels drops significantly as they grow into teenagers.