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 .
Walking compared with vigorous exercise for the prevention of cardiovascular events in women.
BACKGROUND The role of walking , as compared with vigorous exercise , in the prevention of cardiovascular disease remains controversial . Data for women who are members of minority racial or ethnic groups are particularly sparse . METHODS We prospect ively examined the  total physical-activity score , walking , vigorous exercise , and hours spent sitting  as predictors of the incidence of coronary events and total cardiovascular events among 73,743 postmenopausal women 50 to 79 years of age in the Women 's Health Initiative Observational Study . At base line , participants were free of diagnosed cardiovascular disease and cancer , and all participants completed detailed question naires about  physical activity . We documented 345 newly diagnosed cases of coronary heart disease and 1551 total cardiovascular events . RESULTS An increasing  physical-activity  score had a strong , grade d , inverse association with the risk of both coronary events and total cardiovascular events . There were similar findings among white women and black women . Women in increasing quintiles of energy expenditure measured in metabolic equivalents ( the MET score ) had age-adjusted relative risks of coronary events of 1.00 , 0.73 , 0.69 , 0.68 , and 0.47 , respectively ( P for trend , < 0.001 ) . In multivariate analyses , the inverse gradient between the total MET score and the risk of cardiovascular events remained strong ( adjusted relative risks for increasing quintiles , 1.00 , 0.89 , 0.81 , 0.78 , and 0.72 , respectively ; P for trend < 0.001 ) . Walking and vigorous exercise were associated with similar risk reductions , and the results did not vary substantially according to race , age , or body-mass index . A brisker walking pace and fewer hours spent sitting daily also predicted lower risk . CONCLUSIONS These prospect i ve data indicate that both walking and vigorous exercise are associated with substantial reductions in the incidence of cardiovascular events among postmenopausal women , irrespective of race or ethnic group , age , and body-mass index . Prolonged sitting predicts increased cardiovascular risk
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 .