Not All Exercise Is Beneficial: The Physical Activity Paradox ExplainedIn the pursuit of optimal health, regular physical activity (PA) is recommended to protect against dementia, cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, and other noncommunicable diseases. A significant body of research suggests the benefits of PA are positively correlated with higher frequency and intensity — with more often deemed better. This research has spawned a focus on increasing step counts and investing in standing desks and other interventions aimed at keeping people active. But for many people, PA is a work requirement over which they have little control, and emerging evidence suggests that these workers not only do not reap the benefits associated with leisure-time PA, but they also actually experience an increased risk for the very conditions that PA is intended to prevent. A study published recently in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe used registry data from more than 7000 adults in Norway, following them from age 33 to 65 years, to assess PA trajectories and risks for later-life mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia at age 70 or older. |