Overall , the current literature supports clearly the dose-response relationship between physical activity and the seven chronic conditions identified .
Moreover , higher levels of physical activity reduce the risk for premature all-cause mortality .
The current Canadian guidelines appear to be appropriate to reduce the risk for the seven chronic conditions identified above and all-cause mortality
This systematic review examines critically the scientific basis for Canada 's Physical Activity Guide for Healthy Active Living for adults .
Particular reference is given to the dose-response relationship between physical activity and premature all-cause mortality and seven chronic diseases ( cardiovascular disease , stroke , hypertension , colon cancer , breast cancer , type 2 diabetes ( diabetes mellitus ) and osteoporosis ) .
The strength of the relationship between physical activity and specific health outcomes is evaluated critically .
Physical activity and diabetes risk in postmenopausal women.
BACKGROUND To evaluate the hypothesis that physical activity independently predicts type 2 diabetes  risk in postmenopausal African-American , Hispanic , Asian , and Caucasian women . METHODS We prospect ively evaluated the relationship between incident type 2 diabetes , walking , and total physical activity  at baseline in the Women 's Health Initiative Observational Study . Baseline data were collected between September 1994 and December 1998 ; incident diabetes was identified through August 2002 . Hazard ratios for self-reported diabetes adjusted for body mass index ( BMI ) and other variables were evaluated across categories of physical activity in Caucasian , African-American , Hispanic , and Asian/Pacific Isl and er women . RESULTS Incident diabetes was reported by 2.2 % of Caucasian , 6.2 % of African-American , 4.5 % of Hispanic , 3 % of Asian , and 5.7 % of American Indian women ( p < 0.0001 across ethnic groups ) during 458,018 woman-years of follow-up . Among Caucasian women ,  walking  ( multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios 1.00 , 0.85 , 0.87 , 0.75 , 0.74 ; p < 0.001 for trend across exercise quintiles ) and  total physical activity score ( hazard ratios 1.00 , 0.88 , 0.74 , 0.80 , 0.67 ; p = 0.002 ) demonstrated a strong inverse relationship with diabetes risk . In BMI -adjusted models , African-American women in higher physical activity categories were less likely to develop diabetes than women in the lowest physical activity category . After adjusting for age and multiple risk factors , however , no significant association between  physical activity and diabetes risk was apparent for African-American , Hispanic , or Asian women . CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest a stronger and more independent association of physical inactivity with development of  diabetes in Caucasian women than in minority women , but could also be explained by less precise risk estimates in minority women or the role of chance
Overall , the current literature supports clearly the dose-response relationship between physical activity and the seven chronic conditions identified .
Moreover , higher levels of physical activity reduce the risk for premature all-cause mortality .
The current Canadian guidelines appear to be appropriate to reduce the risk for the seven chronic conditions identified above and all-cause mortality
This systematic review examines critically the scientific basis for Canada 's Physical Activity Guide for Healthy Active Living for adults .
Particular reference is given to the dose-response relationship between physical activity and premature all-cause mortality and seven chronic diseases ( cardiovascular disease , stroke , hypertension , colon cancer , breast cancer , type 2 diabetes ( diabetes mellitus ) and osteoporosis ) .
The strength of the relationship between physical activity and specific health outcomes is evaluated critically .