We’ve reported on the negative health effects of a sedentary lifestyle before, but it appears the threat level for inactivity was just kicked up a notch. Researchers are now saying the problem is so bad it should be called a pandemic.

A report published in the British Medical Journal The Lancet estimates that about a third of adults worldwide are not getting enough physical activity, resulting in over 5 million deaths a year. It states that inactivity leads to one in 10 deaths from diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and breast and colon cancer. These and many other chronic diseases have been  linked to sedentary lifestyles.

To get a global perspective of the problem, the study involved a team of 33 researchers from around the world. They found that people in higher income countries were the least active with those in the UK among the worst, as nearly two-thirds of adults were not getting the recommended 150 minutes of moderate exercise weekly. In the U.S., approximately three quarters of adults don’t reach the minimum level of exercise.

The researchers believe using the term pandemic is appropriate and necessary to create a sense of urgency to make fundamental changes in how we live and work.

They believe governments worldwide should play a role in making physical activity more convenient, affordable and safer. An example would be designated bike lanes for commuters or more public parks and recreation areas.

"The global challenge is clear - make physical activity a public health priority throughout the world to improve health and reduce the burden of disease," said Pedro Hallal, one of the lead researchers.

Source:

BBC News

For those looking for the latest and greatest health-related reason to launch an exercise plan, unfortunately, you may not find much to inspire you in today's post. Instead, you may very skeptical about even starting one, but don't be…

Based on a review of some 4,500 patients who participated in the 2003 Scottish Health Survey, folks who spend more than four hours every day sitting in front of a TV or computer have a 48 percent greater risk of dying for any reason. Sound familiar?

Spending just two hours in front of your flat screens increases the risk of a cardiovascular event by a whopping 125 percent too. In fact, those risk percentages were separate from generally agreed-on health problems like hypertension, BMI and smoking. The presence of C-reactive protein, a blood protein that rises in response to inflammation, was also a factor, as levels were two times higher among patients sitting for more than four hours each day.

Long story short, the damage people do to their bodies by being so sedentary for long periods of time is so great, researchers speculate exercise may not make a difference. Unfortunately, that's what many folks will want to see and hear, but there's a bit more to this…

Before you consider using this study to justify giving up your gym membership, scientists are planning ahead for the next phase, in hopes of determining how a sedentary lifestyle harms patients for the short and long haul and how lifestyle changes can increase movement and reduce sitting.

There's no magic pill or shortcut to better health, and we've cited a great deal of research in this space that supports the value of lifestyle changes and exercise, especially for cancer patients.

As Andy Dufesne said The Shawshank Redemption, "Get busy living, or get busy dying." The clock is ticking, folks…

Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Vol. 57, No. 3, p. 292-299, January 18, 2011

MSNBC January 10, 2011

ScienceDaily January 10, 2011