Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New Guidelines Say Any Kind Of Exercise In Small Doses And Less Sitting Improve Health Starting As Early As Age 3
Move more, sit less and get kids active as young as age 3, say new federal guidelines that stress that any amount and any type of exercise helps health. The advice is the first update since the government's physical activity guidelines came out a decade ago. Since then, the list of benefits of exercise has grown, and there's more evidence to back things that were of unknown value before, such as short, high-intense workouts and taking the stairs instead of an elevator. (Marchione, 11/12)
The guidance from a committee appointed by the Department of Health and Human Services does away with the official government position that physical activity should occur in sessions of at least 10 minutes. The earlier position was contained in the government鈥檚 first physical activity guidelines, issued in 2008. The document released Monday at the American Heart Association鈥檚 2018 Scientific Sessions is the first update since then. It was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. 鈥淐urrent evidence shows that the total volume of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity is related to many health benefits; bouts of a prescribed duration are not essential,鈥 the committee of health experts wrote. (Bernstein, 11/12)
"The new guidelines demonstrate that, based on the best science, everyone can dramatically improve their health just by moving 鈥 anytime, anywhere, and by any means that gets you active," Adm. Brett Giroir, assistant secretary of health at the Department of Health and Human Services, said in a release. (Aubrey, 11/12)
Cardiologist William Kraus, a Duke University medical school professor who served on the advisory committee for the guidelines, said the 10-minute block was removed because it could have discouraged some people who didn't have that much time from moving. He noted that聽parking farther from entrances and taking the stairs count as exercise.聽(O'Donnell, 11/12)
On the inducement side, getting regular physical activity has now been linked to lower rates of eight different kinds of cancer, including those of the lung, kidneys and stomach. In 2008, when the first 鈥淧hysical Activity Guidelines for Americans鈥 were released, government scientists could assert only that adequate levels of physical activity helped reduce the risk for breast and colon cancer. And that鈥檚 on top of its ability to prevent heart attacks and strokes, decrease arthritis pain, improve brain health and academic performance, and generally lift your spirits. (Healy, 11/12)
