Researchers from the Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth, UK, have carried out research that suggests one hour of moderate exercise a day recommended to children from health experts may not be enough to tackle the rising problem of childhood obesity.
Researchers found that when these children were aged between five and eight, 42 per cent of boys and only 11 per cent of girls met the government recommended daily exercise level of one hour of moderate exercise.
The study also found that exercise alone had no positive effect on weight control over time, although the research team were keen to stress that this does not mean that exercise has no health benefits for children.
Indeed, when compared with peers who took less exercise, children who met the recommended activity levels fared better for blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides and insulin resistance, which is a recognised precursor to type 2 diabetes later in life.
However the researchers did believe that improving children’s diets, which they claim to have “changed markedly” over the last two decades, would be likely to have a greater impact on their overall health and weight.
Read more at ScienceDaily
