Having high cholesterol can negatively impact health, which is why many people often turn to medication to help manage the problem.
If ignored, too much of the fatty substance can build up in vital arteritis, increasing the chances of serious cardiovascular diseases like heart attack, stroke and other life-threatening issues, according to the NHS.
Statins are the main line of cholesterol medication that help lower LDL (or bad cholesterol) levels – but research shows that doing one thing may reverse cholesterol levels that don’t involve medical intervention.
Experts warn that spending more time sitting still during childhood can elevate cholesterol levels by two-thirds in adulthood, heightening the risk of heart issues and potentially leading to premature death. But a study previously found this can be reversed with moderate exercise.
Research, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism last December, suggests that light physical activity like walking and housework could potentially eliminate the risks entirely without the need for medications such as statins.
High cholesterol during adolescence has been tied to early signs of heart disease in adults and a greater chance of cardiovascular death in mature years. In addition, research found that this one activity has more benefits than moderate-to-vigorous exercise, Surrey Live reports.
Dr Andrew Agbaje from the University of Exeter who led the study said: “These findings emphasise the incredible health importance of light physical activity and shows it could be the key to preventing elevated cholesterol and dyslipidaemia from early life.
“We have evidence that light physical activity is considerably more effective than moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in this regard, and therefore it’s perhaps time the World Health Organisation (WHO) updated their guidelines on childhood exercise, and public health experts, paediatricians, and health policymakers encouraged more participation in light physical activity from childhood.”
He further stated: “Our research suggests light physical activity may be an unsung hero and it is about time the world replaced the mantra of ‘an average of 60 minutes a day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity’ with ‘at least three hours a day of light physical activity’.
“Light physical activity appears to be the antidote to the catastrophic effect of sedentary time in the young population.”
The study found that light physical activities—such as slow dancing, swimming, or cycling—are up to five times more effective than moderate-to-vigorous exercise in promoting heart health and reducing inflammation among young people.
Although the WHO currently recommends children and adolescents to get an average 60 minutes of active exercise a day, and lower sedentary time.
The study involved 792 children aged 11, 15, and 24 years, who were given pedometers to track their sedentary time, light physical activity, and higher-intensity exercise.
The children’s cholesterol levels were measured at ages 15, 17 and 24, as well as repeated assessment of total body fat mass and muscle mass, and various blood tests. Looking at their socio-economic status, smoking status and family history of cardiovascular disease.
Sedentary time significantly rose, increasing from six hours a day to nine hours a day during the 13-year follow-up period. Whilst physical activity deceased from six hours to three hours a day, and moderate-to-vigorous exercise stayed at around 50 minutes a day from childhood to adolescence.
The average increase in total cholesterol was 0.69 millimoles per litre (mmol/l).
The study revealed that an average of four-and-a-half hours of light physical activity from childhood to young adulthood led to a decrease in total cholesterol levels.
Additionally, around 50 minutes a day of higher-intensity exercise during childhood was linked to a slight reduction in total cholesterol (-0.05 mmol/L). However, total body fat mass diminished the impact of higher-intensity exercise on cholesterol by up to 48 percent..
Importantly, the researchers noted that the increase in fat mass offset the minor impact of higher-intensity exercise on total cholesterol levels.
Dr Agbaje said: “Our study shows increased sedentary time in childhood may contribute to two thirds of the total increase in a person’s cholesterol levels before their mid-twenties. This suggests childhood sedentariness may be a major risk factor for elevated cholesterol and subsequent premature heart attack or stroke when individuals reach their mid-forties.”
The study was conducted in collaboration between the University of Exeter, University of Eastern Finland, and University of Bristol, using data from the University of Bristol study Children of the 90s.
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