Lack of Exercise Is a Major Cause of Chronic Diseases

Lack of Exercise Is a Major Cause of Chronic Diseases by Frank W. Booth, Christian K. Roberts, and Matthew J. Laye. Compr Physiol 2:1143-1211, 2012. This is a major review of the evidence for inactivity and its relationship to chronic disease by Frank Booth from the University of Missouri. He and his colleagues have painstakenly gone through a lot of literature to produce this 70 page review with over 575 references. The review is broken into three parts major parts each with subsections related to the detrimental effects of inactivity versus the beneficial effects of exercise. Some of the more interesting sections include how mechanisms of physical activity may different from mechanisms of inactivity. Additionally, physical activity is examined as a primary prevention against 35 chronic conditions. Lastly the article ends with some additional interesting and timely topics including clinical consequences of inactivity in childhood/adolescence and public policy issues. Although a fairly extensive review it could be one worth looking at as a dissertation reference, for example. There are also several figures that could be used in seminars and/or informal presentations. -PJM