Exercising in the Evening Can Lower Health Risks
According to researchers from the University of Sydney, exercising in the evening between 6 p.m. and midnight can decrease 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 analyzed 29,836 adults with obesity, with an average age of 62.2, as well as individuals with type 2 diabetes.
Using data from wearable devices, the researchers monitored physical activity in the morning, afternoon, and evening among the participants.
The timing of physical activity could play a crucial role in managing obesity and type 2 diabetes in the future, the researchers noted.
Angelo Sabag, a lecturer in Exercise Physiology and the first author of the study, emphasized that exercising at specific times could help mitigate the health risks associated with obesity.
Matthew Ahmadi, a co-author of the study, pointed out that researchers tracked continuous activity in three-minute intervals, based on previous research linking such activity to reduced cardiovascular disease risk.
“We did not differentiate the type of activity being tracked, as it could range from power walking to climbing stairs, structured exercise like running, occupational labor, or even vigorous household cleaning,” he explained.
The researchers utilized data from the UK Biobank, comprising nearly 30,000 adults over 40, with 2995 of them having type 2 diabetes.
Participants’ aerobic activity was measured using a wrist accelerometer worn 24 hours a day for seven days.
The team then correlated health data to examine individual health trends over 7.9 years, during which 1,425 deaths, 3,980 cardiovascular incidents, and 2,162 microvascular dysfunction events were recorded.
Obesity Statistics in Australia
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Wellbeing, 31% of adults in Australia are obese, and two-thirds, or 67%, are either overweight or obese.
As of 2023, one in four children, or 25%, are overweight or obese, while only 8.2% of adults are obese.
“The rates of overweight and obesity are similar for boys and girls across different age groups,” the data indicates.
Body Mass Index data was sourced from the 2017-2018 National Health Survey due to the lack of physical measurements in the 2020-2021 survey caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
