Inactivity “killing as many as smoking” (BBC)

According to researchers, the lack of physical activity among adults is so bad that the problem should be treated as a pandemic. The researchers’ findings, recently published in the Lancet, estimate roughly one-third of adults are not active enough and that it is causing 5.3 million deaths per year—equal to about one in 10 deaths from heart disease, diabetes, and breast and colon cancer. The study found people in higher-income countries were the least active with the UK at the top of the list. Instead of touting the benefits of exercise, researchers suggested that warning people of the dangers of inactivity could be more effective in combatting the problem. It is recommended that adults get 150 minutes of exercise each week.