London - Children who get less than an hour’s exercise a day could be heading for heart disease in the future.
A study shows those under the age of ten need at least that much exercise every day to keep hearts healthy.
Even very young children showed signs of future health problems, the researchers found.
Of the 3 120 children aged between two and nine who took part in the Europe-wide study, one in seven had a combination of factors that raised their odds of ill health in later life.
These included blood pressure and cholesterol readings higher than considered healthy, poor fitness levels and layers of fat.
The research, by the University of Zaragoza in Spain and reported in the journal BMC Medicine, concluded children aged between seven and nine should include 20 minutes of vigorous exercise such as running or football.
But many are likely to struggle to achieve that level of activity.
In a recent Newcastle University study of eight to ten-year-olds the girls exercised for an average of just 17 minutes a day. Boys did little better, clocking up 24 minutes. - Daily Mail