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" Although there are rising concerns that obesity is an increasing cause of death, it is in fact inactivity that is leading to more fatalities, according to a new study. Doctors from the University of Cambridge have been analysing the leading causes of death in Europe, finding that laziness and failure to take part in exercise are a particularly prevalent factor. They conducted a 12-year study, which looked at the reasons behind why people died, discovering that approximately 676,000 European deaths each year were due to inactivity, in contrast to the 337,000 that were caused by individuals being overweight or obese. Before reaching this conclusion, the researchers monitored 334,161 for over a decade, assessing how much exercise they took part in and their waistline measurements, while every death was recorded. In light of the results, the study authors believe that tackling the issue of inactivity and getting more people moving could help to cut mortality rates by as much as 7.5 per cent - which equates to around 676,000 people. However, they predicted that cutting obesity levels would have less of a significant impact on mortality rates, only decreasing them by around 3.6 per cent, suggesting that inactivity is in fact the bigger problem. Co-author of the study Professor Ulk Ekelund commented: &amp;#039;The greatest risk of an early death was in those classed [as] inactive and that was consistent in normal weight, overweight and obese people. &amp;#039;But I don&amp;#039;t think it&amp;#039;s a case of one or the other. We should also strive to reduce obesity, but I do think physical activity needs to be recognised as a very important public health strategy.&amp;#039; He recommended that people should take part in at least 20 minutes of exercise each day. For instance, this could take the form of a brisk walk, which could be factored into a lunch break, a commute or as an evening activity instead of watching television. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/healthy-living/news/a25433/obesity-less-of-a-problem-than-inactivity/>