Health & Medicine
Sedentary Behavior: Is Sitting Really That Bad For You?
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Oct 13, 2015 07:37 PM EDT
Researchers at the University of Exeter and the University College of London are challenging recent studies that show how sitting for long periods can be dangerous to your health. The new study, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, suggests that sitting for an extended amount of time is not associated with an increased risk of dying.
Of course, prior studies refute this theory--saying that simply sitting for a long time can be dangerous to health. Furthermore, this new idea contradicts recommendations from the National Health Service, which suggest that sitting for too long is bad for your health, regardless of how active you are.
"Our study overturns current thinking on the health risks of sitting and indicates that the problem lies in the absence of movement rather than the time spent sitting itself. Any stationary posture where energy expenditure is low may be detrimental to health, be it sitting or standing," said Dr. Melvyn Hillsdon from Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Exeter, in a news release. "The results cast doubt on the benefits of sit-stand work stations, which employers are increasingly providing to promote healthy working environments."
In this recent study, researchers followed over 5,000 participants for 16 years--making it one of the longest follow-up studies on this area of research; this included 3,720 men and 1,142 women drawn from the Whitehall II study cohort. The participants were asked to provide information on total sitting time, as well as four other specific types of sitting behavior, including the following, courtesy of the release: sitting at work, sitting during leisure time, sitting while watching TV and sitting during leisure time that did not include TV. They were also asked to report on daily walking activities and time spent engaged in any moderate to vigorous physical activity. Numerous factors were taken into account, as well, including ethnicity, age, gender, general health, socioeconomic status, alcohol consumption and diet.
"Our findings suggest that reducing sitting time might not be quite as important for mortality risk as previously publicised and that encouraging people to be more active should still be a public health priority," concluded lead study author Dr. Richard Pulsford of Sport and Health Sciences at the university.
Related Articles
Sedentary Lifestyle: Is Sitting All Day At Work Killing Us?
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now:
NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone
TagsHealth, Human, Sedentary, Sedentary Lifestyle, Behavior, Sitting, Sit, Work, Leisure, University College of London, University of Exeter, International Journal of Epidemiology, National Health Service ©2024 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.
More on SCIENCEwr
First Posted: Oct 13, 2015 07:37 PM EDT
Researchers at the University of Exeter and the University College of London are challenging recent studies that show how sitting for long periods can be dangerous to your health. The new study, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, suggests that sitting for an extended amount of time is not associated with an increased risk of dying.
Of course, prior studies refute this theory--saying that simply sitting for a long time can be dangerous to health. Furthermore, this new idea contradicts recommendations from the National Health Service, which suggest that sitting for too long is bad for your health, regardless of how active you are.
"Our study overturns current thinking on the health risks of sitting and indicates that the problem lies in the absence of movement rather than the time spent sitting itself. Any stationary posture where energy expenditure is low may be detrimental to health, be it sitting or standing," said Dr. Melvyn Hillsdon from Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Exeter, in a news release. "The results cast doubt on the benefits of sit-stand work stations, which employers are increasingly providing to promote healthy working environments."
In this recent study, researchers followed over 5,000 participants for 16 years--making it one of the longest follow-up studies on this area of research; this included 3,720 men and 1,142 women drawn from the Whitehall II study cohort. The participants were asked to provide information on total sitting time, as well as four other specific types of sitting behavior, including the following, courtesy of the release: sitting at work, sitting during leisure time, sitting while watching TV and sitting during leisure time that did not include TV. They were also asked to report on daily walking activities and time spent engaged in any moderate to vigorous physical activity. Numerous factors were taken into account, as well, including ethnicity, age, gender, general health, socioeconomic status, alcohol consumption and diet.
"Our findings suggest that reducing sitting time might not be quite as important for mortality risk as previously publicised and that encouraging people to be more active should still be a public health priority," concluded lead study author Dr. Richard Pulsford of Sport and Health Sciences at the university.
Related Articles
Sedentary Lifestyle: Is Sitting All Day At Work Killing Us?
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone