Exercising in the Evening Decreases Risk of Death and Heart Disease for Obese Individuals
Researchers from the University of Sydney found that exercising between 6 p.m. and midnight can have positive effects on health.
Exercising in the evening between 6 p.m. and midnight has been shown by Australian researchers to lower the risk of death, cardiovascular disease, and microvascular disease.
A study conducted by scientists from the University of Sydney and the University of Wollongong in New South Wales looked at 29,836 adults with obesity and an average age of 62.2, including individuals with type 2 diabetes.
The researchers utilized wearable device data to track physical activity in the morning, afternoon, and evening among participants.
The timing of physical activity may have implications for the management of obesity and type two diabetes in the future, according to the researchers.
Angelo Sabag, a lecturer in Exercise Physiology and the first author of the paper, emphasized that exercising at specific times could help mitigate the health risks associated with obesity.
“Due to various complex societal factors, around two out of three Australians are overweight or obese, putting them at a significantly higher risk of major cardiovascular events like heart attacks and strokes, as well as premature death,” he added.
Matthew Ahmadi, a co-first author of the study, mentioned that researchers monitored continuous activity in three-minute intervals, based on previous studies linking such activity to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.
“We didn’t differentiate the type of activity we tracked; it could range from brisk walking to stair climbing, as well as structured exercises like running or even intense household chores,” he explained.
The researchers gathered data from the UK Biobank involving nearly 30,000 adults over 40 years old, with 2995 having type two diabetes.
Participants’ aerobic activity was assessed using a wrist accelerometer worn 24 hours a day for a week.
The team then analyzed health data to observe individual health trends over 7.9 years, during which 1,425 deaths, 3,980 cardiovascular incidents, and 2,162 microvascular dysfunction events occurred.
How Many Australians Are Obese?
Among adults, 31 percent are obese, as per the Australian Institute of Health and Wellbeing.
Moreover, two-thirds of adults, or 67 percent, are either overweight or obese, according to government data last updated in 2023.
Based on the data, one out of every four children, or 25 percent, is either overweight or obese. But only 8.2 percent of adults are obese.
“The rates of overweight and obesity are similar for both boys and girls across various age groups,” the data indicates.
Body Mass Index estimates were derived from the 2017 to 2018 National Health Survey, as the 2020-2021 survey did not include physical measurements due to the COVID-19 pandemic.