Practice of physical activity does not overcome damage caused by poor diet, says study

A new study, by researchers at the University of Sydney and published on Monday (11) in the scientific journal British Journal of Sports Medicine, found that the practice of physical activity at high levels is not enough to counteract the harmful effects of a poor diet. in nutrients, and reduce the risk of death from any reason.

In the assessment, the scientists noted that participants who had high levels of physical activity and a high-quality diet had the lowest risk of dying, showing that you can’t “beat” a poor diet.

The research evaluated the separate and pooled effects of diet and physical activity on all-cause death, cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality using a UK Biobank database with information from 360,000 British adults.

According to the paper’s lead author, Melody Ding, an associate professor at the Charles Perkins Center and the University of Sydney School of Medicine and Health, “both regular physical activity and a healthy diet play an important role in promoting health and longevity.” .

However, she noted that some people believe they can offset the impacts of a poor diet by doing high levels of exercise. “But the data shows that unfortunately this is not the case,” Melody said in a statement.

Research results show that those who had high levels of physical activity and a high-quality diet, the risk of mortality was reduced by 17% from all causes, 19% from cardiovascular disease and 27% from selected cancers, compared with those with a less rich diet and little physical activity.

Study co-author Joe Van Buskirk, from the School of Public Health at the School of Medicine and Health, said that “Adhering to a quality diet and sufficient physical activity is important for reducing the risk of death from all causes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.” ”.

A rich diet evaluated for research includes at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day, two servings of fish a week, and lower consumption of red meat, particularly processed meat.

Other studies have shown high-intensity exercise can counteract harmful physiological responses to overeating. However, the long-term effects on how diet and physical activity interact with each other have remained less explored.

In these findings, the researchers highlight the importance of both physical activity and quality diet in all-cause and cause-specific mortality.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a minimum of 150 to 300 minutes of aerobic activity per week for healthy adults and an average of 60 minutes per day for children and adolescents.

“This study reinforces the importance of physical activity and diet quality in achieving the greatest reduction in mortality risk,” Melody said.

According to the researchers, public health bodies should focus efforts on “promoting physical activity and dietary guidelines to promote healthy longevity.”

Source: CNN Brasil

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