To boost your resistance to noncommunicable disease, add more exercise
Prof Martin Schwellnus says humans are genetically programmed to do exercise every day and it is detrimental for us not to do so
Exercise is the new "vital sign" that is set to change the face of global healthcare, according to a panel of experts at a roundtable discussion hosted by Discovery Health on Wednesday. Noncommunicable diseases in the country have taken over as the leading cause of death in SA, and exercise can reduce the effect of bad lifestyle habits that cause such diseases. Endocrinologist at Life Fourways Hospital Dr Sundeep Ruder said lifestyle played a huge role in health and in the resistance against noncommunicable diseases, many of which were preventable through exercise. He said there were many exercise fads, but running and walking came most naturally to people and were good enough to offset bad health. The director of the institute for sport, exercise medicine and lifestyle research at the University of Pretoria, Prof Martin Schwellnus, said humans were genetically programmed to do exercise every day and it was detrimental for us not to do so. He said many years ago, patients who had ha...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.