Scientists from Simon Fraser University and elsewhere found that people who sat for six to eight hours a day had a 12–13 percent increased risk for early death and heart disease, while those who sat for more than eight hours daily increased that to a sobering 20 percent.
The findings add further weight to the argument that prolonged sitting may be hazardous to heart health.
The research is published in JAMA Cardiology and was conducted by Scott Lear et al.
In the study, the team surveyed more than 100,000 individuals in 21 countries.
They followed individuals over an average of 11 years and determined that high amounts of sitting time were linked to an increased risk of early death and heart disease.
While sitting was problematic in all countries, it was especially so in low-income and lower-middle-income countries.
Not surprisingly, those who sat the most and were the least active had the highest risk—up to 50 percent—while those who sat the most but were also the most active had a substantially lower risk of about 17 percent.
The team found that a combination of sitting and inactivity accounted for 8.8 percent of all deaths, which is close to the contribution of smoking.
They also found a particular association in lower-income countries, leading researchers to speculate that it may be because sitting in higher-income countries is typically associated with higher socio-economic status and better-paying jobs.
The team says for those sitting more than four hours a day, replacing a half-hour of sitting with exercise reduced the risk by two percent.
Clinicians should focus on less sitting and more activity as it’s a low-cost intervention that can have enormous benefits.
But while clinicians need to get the message out about countering sitting with activity, individuals need to better assess their lifestyles and take their health seriously.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about novel causes of irregular heart rhythm, and she put off heart symptoms until it was almost too late.
For more information about heart disease, please see recent studies about two effective ways to quickly restore normal heart rhythm, and results showing one cup of nitrate-rich vegetables per day may prevent heart disease.
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