Lack of Exercise Twice as Deadly as Obesity

Not getting enough exercise could be twice as deadly as being obese, according to a new study.

Researchers at Cambridge University in Britain studied information from more than 334,000 European men and women over the course of 12 years.

They found twice as many deaths were linked to a lack of exercise compared to obesity.
    
But they also found just a little bit of exercise - 20 minutes or more of walking - can seriously cut the risks of early death, especially for people who already spend much of their time sitting.

And if you can't walk 20 minutes at a time, they recommend doing 10 minutes twice a day.

"This country cannot afford to continue ignoring the relationship between physically active transport and health," The Telegraph quoted Philip Insall, director of health for Sustrans.

"Inactive lifestyles are responsible for thousands of premature deaths and incur massive costs for our health system," he said. "Enabling people to walk and cycle for their everyday journeys is the tonic for the nation that must be prescribed immediately."