According to researchers, children are more likely to improve their health later in life if they stay active and fit.
A collaborative team says by making sure young people stay active throughout their childhood, it reduces the risk of developing inflammatory disease.
If people have long-term inflammation, it can greatly increase their chances of developing type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Eero Haapala from the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at Jyväskylä University said, “Our study showed that children who were more physically active and less sedentary had a healthier inflammatory profile than children who were less physically active.
“However, our results suggest that the positive effects of high levels of physical activity and limited time sitting on a highly inflammatory disease can be explained in part by their positive effects on body composition.”
Researchers from the University of Eastern Finland, the Norwegian School of Sports Science and Cambridge University also participated in the study.
Using data from the ongoing study on physical activity and nutrition in children (PANIC), they examined the relationships between exercise, lack of exercise, diet, body fat and highly inflammatory diseases in almost 400 children between the ages of six and eight.
A motion sensor and heart rate monitor were used to track physical activity, and biomarkers from blood samples were used to measure inflammatory disease.
They found that the least active children had unhealthy inflammation profiles, putting them at risk for various diseases as they got older.
Dr. Haapala said, “The key message of our results is that increasing physical activity and reducing sitting time are keys to preventing inflammatory disease from childhood. They would be especially important for overweight children. “
The results were published in the European Journal of Sport Science.