Inactivity causes as many deaths as smoking, study

Unpublished
London – Lack of exercise is now causing as many deaths as smoking across the world, according to a study published in the scientific journal the Lancet.
The study estimates that about a third of adults are not doing enough physical activity, causing 5.3 million deaths a year. That equates to about one in 10 deaths from diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and breast and colon cancer.
Researchers said the problem was now so bad it should be treated as a pandemic.
The team of 33 researchers drawn from centres across the world also said governments needed to look at ways to make physical activity more convenient, affordable and safer.
The study found that people in developing nations were the least active.
It is recommended that adults do 150 minutes of moderate exercise, such as brisk walking, cycling or gardening, each week.
While smoking and inactivity kill a similar number of people, smoking rates are much lower than the number of inactive people, making smoking more risky to the individual.

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