Enhancing cardiometabolic health through physical activity and breakfast manipulations in children and adolescents: good for humans, good for the planet

Julia K Zakrzewski-Fruer
,
Alice E. Thackray

School of Sport Psychology and Social Science
,
Loughborough University
,
NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre

Research Output: Contribution to journal Article Peer-review

Open access

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 3 Good Health and Well
SDG 13 Climate Action

Abstract

The human health benefits of cardiometabolic disease prevention can be accompanied by planetary co-benefits. Focusing efforts towards young people, including children and adolescents, is conducive to disease prevention. In the context of cardiometabolic disease prevention, this review paper critically summarises the available literature on the acute cardiometabolic responses to physical activity and breakfast manipulations among young people. Given the seriousness of global climate change, which will disproportionally affect our younger generations, the paper offers new insights into the inherent interactions between child-adolescent behaviour and cardiometabolic health from an environmental sustainability perspective to aid climate change mitigation efforts, including exploring future research avenues. A growing evidence base suggests acute moderate- to high-intensity exercise bouts can attenuate postprandial plasma glucose, insulin and triacylglycerol concentrations for up to 24–48 h in young people. Whether accumulating physical activity throughout the day with short, frequent bouts promotes cardiometabolic risk marker attenuations is unclear. Breakfast consumption may enhance free-living physical activity and reduce glycaemic responses to subsequent meals for a possible additive impact. If repeated habitually, attenuations in these cardiometabolic risk factors would be conducive to disease prevention, reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with disease diagnosis and treatment. To progress current understanding with high public health and planetary relevance, research among samples of ‘at risk’ young people that span cellular-level responses to ecologically valid settings and address human and planetary health co-benefits is needed. Indeed, certain physical activity opportunities, such as active travel to school, offer important direct co-benefits to human and planetary health.

Publication Information

Output type

Research Output: Contribution to journal Article Peer-review

Original language

English

Pages from-to (Number of pages)

Pages 272-285 (14 pages)

Journal (Volume, Issue Number)

Proceedings of the Nutrition Society (Volume 82, Issue 3)

Publication milestones

Accepted/In press - 26/10/2022
Published - 11/11/2022

Publication status

Published - 11/11/2022

ISSN

0029-6651

External Publication IDs

handle.net: 10547/625550
Scopus: 85142634627

Access to documents

10.1017/S0029665122002804

REPOSITORY_Enhancing metabolic health in young people_Zakrzewski-Fruer _ Thackray.pdf

Accepted author manuscript, 421.82 KB

License:CC BY-NC-ND

enhancing-cardiometabolic-health-through-physical-activity-and-breakfast-manipulations

Final published version, 1.95 MB

License:CC BY

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/proceedings-of-the-nutrition-society/article/abs/enhancing-cardiometabolic-health-through-physical-activity-and-breakfast-manipulations-in-children-and-adolescents-good-for-humans-good-for-the-planet/70D373BB5740D7F50FB20C4F818A535B

Final published version

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