Sitting for more than eight hours a day can increase the risk of heart disease and early death by 20 percent, according to a new study co-authored with a BC professor.
A study conducted by Scott Lear of Simon Fraser University and Wei Li of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences in Beijing followed 100,000 people in 21 countries for 11 years to try to gain a better understanding of the dangers of prolonged sitting.
“Sitting is bad for us and it’s nothing new,” Lear told CTV News, explaining that they were trying to measure in part whether increased physical activity could mitigate the ill effects.
The risk of early death and heart disease has increased even more among those who spend even more time in a sitting position and have been the least active, the study found. Physical activity, even for those who sat the most, reduced the risk. “Those people who were very active had a much lower risk and even had a lower risk than those people who sat for four hours a day without physical activity,” he explained.
“MOVEMENT IS IMPORTANT”
Lear says the amount of work needed to compensate for the potential damage is relatively easy to achieve, but there is a lack of awareness. Observing the Canadian minimum of 60 minutes a day is enough to reduce the risks associated with sitting, but this is a benchmark that meets only one in four people.
So what does he offer?
“A three-minute walk, whether it’s a light or moderate walk, doesn’t matter, every 20 or 30 minutes,” he says.
“Get up, do something, walk. Movement is important. Standing is not much different from sitting, it’s just a different posture. Movement is important.”
He also says the study found that for those who sit for more than four hours a day, replacing half an hour of sitting with exercise reduces the risk by two percent.
While public health reports that “sitting is the new smoke” are not exactly true, Lear says there is not much difference between health effects.
“When we looked at the combination of sitting and low activity, these things accounted for just under nine percent of deaths in the 11 years. Smoking accounts for 10.6 percent, “he said.
“This combination of lack of physical activity and high sitting was not on the same level, but it was close to smoking. This is an important message for health professionals and clinicians. Because working with a patient to increase their activity or stop sitting is a fairly inexpensive intervention that can have significant benefits. “
Explaining why sitting is so bad, Lear uses a metaphor for a car that automatically stops working when stopped at a red light.
“Our bodies are efficient machines, and when we don’t use them, things turn off. What is happening, in particular, is that the proteins that are used to break down sugar and blood fats, which our muscles use as energy, are turned off because I do not move. So why do we need this energy? “
That’s why, says Lear, it’s especially important not to stay stuck in the hours immediately after eating. This is also the reason why other studies have found that watching TV is one of the worst types of sitting, as it is so often combined with a snack.
Although the study does not look at whether moving to remote work during the pandemic has affected the risk, Lear says people who work from home should keep in mind that they may move less than they were when they were. entered the office.
“Some people are more productive at home just because they sit and work harder, instead of being interrupted, going to the water cooler or copier or whatever. It’s easier to sit (in one place), “he says.
Some strategies he says are useful to him are getting up and walking around when talking on the phone, setting an alarm every half hour as a reminder to get up and move. At home, small chores like emptying the dishwasher can also provide an opportunity to get away from your desk.
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