INTERVIEW. “The chair kills, but it doesn’t give rest”: Dr. Francois Carré fights to get his patients moving again

How does physical activity affect our health?

Professor Francois Carré: We have almost the same genome as Homo sapiens. He developed the ability to store fat as he was unable to find food every day, as well as very good stamina to excel at hunting. We are genetically programmed to move, we cannot do otherwise. We still have these genes, but we eat too much compared to our physical activity. Our genes are stimulated by our diet, so we stock up. But we no longer stimulate endurance genes because we spend time sitting. When we are sedentary and/or inactive, fat cells release molecules that increase inflammation and oxidative stress, and reduce immunity. However, all chronic diseases develop with increased inflammation and oxidative stress.

During physical activity the opposite is true. Our body produces proteins, myokines, that reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, and also improve immunity. Physical activity helps fight chronic, low-grade inflammation that leads to chronic diseases. Today, physical activity is recommended for almost all chronic diseases. With the highest level of recommendations.

What about cardiovascular disease?

Myokines act on the heart and blood vessels. They increase the ability of blood vessels to dilate, facilitate blood circulation and thereby reduce blood pressure. They reduce blood sugar levels and therefore the risk of developing diabetes as well as bad cholesterol. And moderate physical activity stabilizes atherosclerotic plaques. Physical activity has a direct effect on all risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Regarding the treatment of chronic diseases, physical activity is recommended after a heart attack at the same level of evidence as beta blockers!

Physical activity also has a protective effect on mental health.

During physical activity, the brain secretes dopamine, endorphin, serotonin and BDNF, a molecule that promotes neurogenesis and cerebral angiogenesis. Thus, we can restore the brain through physical activity. This is why physical activity promotes learning and memory and is effective against Alzheimer’s disease.

What do you say to those who manage to exercise 3 hours a week, but spread it over only two sessions a week?

The lifespan of myokines ranges from 36 to 48 hours. Therefore, you should not miss more than two days without training. Walking twice a week, even for 1:30, is not enough. You need to walk every day to maintain the benefits of physical activity. I’m not talking about sports, I’m talking about physical activity: walking, climbing stairs, doing squats.

“Physical activity should be as important a subject as maths or French.”

So, great athletes may not reap the benefits of physical activity?

Enough. And above all, work is affected by a sedentary lifestyle – time spent sitting. These are the same risks as physical inactivity, but they operate independently of each other. Exercising does not reverse the effects of a sedentary lifestyle. The worst thing, however, is to lead a sedentary and sedentary lifestyle, as then the consequences multiply.

An athlete may lead a sedentary lifestyle. That is why it is now recommended to reduce sitting time and break up periods of sedentary lifestyle. Every hour you need to move your body for 1-2 minutes. A working person spends an average of 12 hours a day sitting. For a person who does not work, this is 9 hours. It’s huge.

Can half an hour of physical activity reverse the effects of a sedentary lifestyle?

Unfortunately no. If you sit for 10 hours, you need to do between two hours and 2 hours and 15 minutes of physical activity to counteract the effects of sedentary behavior. This is why reducing sitting time is so important. We get up, move a little, stretch… The simple fact of sitting 30 minutes less during the day and replacing this sitting time with 30 minutes of physical activity reduces the risk of getting sick and dying early by 15%. The chair kills and lies to us because it does not give us peace.

You’ve done research that shows children have poor physical performance.

The children are in very poor health. In 2022 in France, an 11-year-old schoolboy will not be able to run one kilometer as fast as an active 65-year-old man. In 1987, a French schoolboy ran at a speed of 11 km/h. Today he runs at a speed of 9.5 km/h, his physical performance has dropped by about 20%. But we know that in 10 intense, 10-minute workouts, we’ll make up 40% of the delay compared to 87. So, we have solutions.

What do you expect from government authorities?

Children should get one hour of physical activity per day. I expect the Ministry of National Education to get kids moving again. Physical activity should be as important a subject as math or French. We should make it mandatory to start physical or sporting activity within the first 30 minutes of school. Children will do better in other subjects. I argue that if teachers completed the program, children would become better people, learn faster and remember more easily. Children’s brains are not ready to learn without physical activity. This has been proven.