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New Canadian research has shown that staying active as a child even at the age of three could help improve cardiovascular health later in life.
Conducted by researchers from McMaster University, the new study looked at 418 children ages three to five.
The team badyzed each year for three years cardiovascular fitness, arterial stiffness and blood pressure of children. They then asked the children to wear an accelerometer around the waist one week a year to track their level of physical activity.
The findings, published in the journal Pediatrics, showed that even at age three, physical activity had a positive effect on the health of blood vessels and cardiovascular health of children, two key factors in the prevention of heart disease at home. the adult, researchers observing that the arteries stiffen over time, the process is slower in young children who have been more active.
Positive effects were observed for both boys and girls, although physical activity appeared to have a positive influence on girls only.
The study is the first to show that physical activity can improve the health of blood vessels in preschool children. The lead author of the study, Nicole Proudfoot, said, "Many of us tend to think that cardiovascular disease strikes the elderly, when we are very young."
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"It's important to start early any kind of preventative measures – we need to ensure that young children have plenty of opportunities to be active to keep their heart and blood vessels as healthy as possible," he said. she added.
In addition, more active children could also run longer on the treadmill, suggesting that they had better cardiovascular health and that their heart rate also decreased faster after exercise.
More intense physical activity also seemed to bring greater benefits.
"This research suggests that intensity is important," says Brian Timmons, an badociate professor who oversaw the research. "It's the kids who get the most out of energetic games, which means you have to run out of breath playing games like tag, and the better, the better, is."
Timmons adds that it's not necessary for physical activity to occur at one time and that it's important to stay active all day long.
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