By Rachel Garrod
[dropcap]N[/dropcap]o-one today would dispute the health benefits of physical activity. Why then do so few of us manage to achieve even the minimum recommendation of 150 minutes moderate intensity activity per week?
It would seem, however, that the problem is not uniquely European, with researchers from Taiwan(*) approaching the issue of inactivity from a different angle. They wanted to know, “What’s the minimum amount of physical activity that will have health benefits?” 
Over 400,000 healthy Taiwanese adults were followed up for around eight years. Each year they completed a questionnaire about their specific leisure time physical activities, how much, what and so on.
Researchers were then able to ascribe the following categories to the population: inactive (no physical activity or less than 60 minutes per week); low volume (91 minutes per week); medium volume (222 minutes per week); high volume (361 minutes per week); and very high volume (523 minutes per week).
The researchers measured incidences of physiotherapy, high blood pressure, kidney disease and the cause of death in those who died during the study period.
Statistical analysis was performed to account for differences in age, gender, smoking and alcohol consumption, and tests were performed to determine the risk of death from any cause, from cancer and from a cardiovascular condition.
The results showed clear benefits of being active: the more physical activity you take the longer you live. However, what was most interesting was that, compared with those who were inactive, even as little as 15 minutes of physical activity per day provided a reduction in all-cause and all-cancer mortality. This reduction in mortality amounted to an extra three years of life.
So the bottom line is: even a little physical activity is better than no physical activity, meaning there really is no excuse!
Rachel Garrod PhD MSc is a physiotherapy lecturer and stop smoking counsellor
Tel. (+34) 652 281 122
www.healthholidaysmarbella.healthblogs.org
*Minimum amount of physical activity for reduced mortality and extended life expectancy: a prospective cohort study – Chi Pang Wen (Lancet 2011; 378: 1244–53)
