Sitting Very Long Linked To Heart Disease That Workout Can’t Even Undo: Study

Is your office workload preventing you from taking quick breaks? You must be aware that sitting at your desk all day long can increase your risk of heart disease, a risk that even a workout can’t undo, according to new research.

“Our findings really emphasize the importance of avoiding excess sitting… whether or not you’re physically active,” Dr Ezim Ajufo, the study’s lead author and a cardiology fellow at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, told a leading media house.

90,000 people were examined

As per the study published on Friday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, nearly 90,000 people were examined by researchers who analyzed data from an accelerometer worn by participants for a week. The researchers compared the participants’ sedentary and active time with later diagnoses of conditions like stroke, heart attack, and heart failure.

The finding not only revealed the link between sedentary behaviour and the risk of future cardiovascular disease but also showed guidelines about what may count as sitting too much.

“We would really recommend that as many people as possible avoid sitting more than 10.6 hours a day,” Ajufo said. “That’s not a hard and fast threshold, but we think it’s a reasonable first step for guidelines and public health intervention.”

How to get moving?

As per reports, it is essential to keep moving every other 30 minutes. Take stairs instead of elevators, go for bathroom breaks, or simply stand and stretch for a few seconds before starting another task. These simple hacks can contribute to lifelong benefits and prevent the risks of heart disease.