Research: 10 minutes of high-intensity activity daily reduces body fat in children

High-Intensity Activity Benefits For Children

High-intensity activity daily reduces body fat in children.

Children who undertake 10 minutes of high-intensity physical activity per day reduce the amount of body fat and improve their aerobic fitness, according to a study from the University of Eastern Finland and Cambridge University published by Sports Medicine.[1]

Cross-Sectional Associations of Objectively-Measured Physical Activity and Sedentary Time with Body Composition and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Mid-Childhood: The PANIC Study

Cross-Sectional Associations of Objectively-Measured Physical Activity and Sedentary Time with Body Composition and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Mid-Childhood: The PANIC Study

KEY POINTS FROM THIS STUDY:

  • 410 children from 6 to 8-years-old took part in the research.

  • The higher the intensity of physical activity undertaken, the stronger the association with the amount of body fat lost.

  • Exchanging sedentary behaviour such as sitting with moderate-intensity physical activity reduces body fat.

  • At least moderate-intensity physical activity is required to improve aerobic fitness.

  • Physical activity was assessed using a heart rate and movement sensor rather than observation or self-reporting.

  • DEXA (DXA) scans were used to measure body fat, which is often used as an accurate measure of body fat in children [2] in clinical research.

  • Children engaging in 10 minutes of high-intensity physical activity daily had 26-30% less central body fat than children who did not engage in high-intensity physical activity.



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