Sitting may be slowly killing us-and the numbers are getting worse, not better. A comprehensive global study spanning three decades reveals that deaths from heart disease linked to physical inactivity are rising steadily worldwide, even as awareness of exercise's benefits grows. Using decades of health data combined with genetic analysis, researchers have now confirmed that the connection between inactivity and heart attacks isn't just correlation—it's genuinely causal.
Heart disease remains the world's leading cause of death, with heart attacks accounting for a massive share of that burden. Yet the true scale of how physical inactivity contributes to these deaths has remained unclear. A new analysis tackled that question by examining Global Burden of Disease data from 1990 to 2021, tracking mortality trends tied to low physical activity across the globe. Simultaneously, researchers used genetic analysis to probe whether exercise truly protects the heart or whether other lifestyle factors deserve the credit.
The epidemiological findings painted a sobering picture. Between 1990 and 2021, deaths from heart disease linked to insufficient activity climbed at an average rate of 0.70% annually—a persistent upward trend despite decades of public health messaging about exercise. Aging populations, urbanization, and increasingly sedentary work styles appear to be fueling this rise, suggesting that knowing exercise is beneficial hasn't translated into action for billions worldwide.
To strengthen the evidence, researchers employed Mendelian randomization—a genetic technique that uses inherited variations to test whether physical activity causes heart protection or merely correlates with it. They analyzed genome-wide data from thousands of people, comparing those genetically predisposed to higher activity levels with less active counterparts. The results were compelling: individuals with genetic markers favoring more exercise had 83% lower risk of heart attack compared to sedentary peers—an odds ratio of 0.17.
This genetic evidence powerfully supports the idea that movement itself—not merely the lifestyles of active people—directly shields the heart.
Together, the data send a clear message: physical inactivity is a major, growing, and preventable driver of global heart disease. The solution remains unchanged: move more, sit less.
REFERENCE: Guo Y et al. Physical activity and myocardial infarction risk: insights from the global burden of disease study 1990–2021 and Mendelian randomization analysis. BMC Cardiovasc Disord. 2025;DOI: 10.1186/s12872-025-05453-6.
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