Sitting isn’t bad for you after all

More research is needed on inactive behavior and its impact on health, says Emily Reeve, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation.

3,720 men and 1,412 women were included in the study, and all of them worked as civil servants in London.

Data pertaining to 5,000 participants was analyzed, over a period of 16 years, in order to determine daily routines, such as the amount of time spent sitting at work and during spare time. That is because what matters in fact is the mobility and energy expenditure that individuals display, whether they are sitting or standing. Participants reported their total time sitting and how long they sat during four different situations: at work, watching television, leisure time and non-television leisure time.

Contrary to recent advice, the researchers found no discrepancy between the mortality rates of those who sat for long periods, versus those who stood for the same time.

The findings challenge previous research suggesting sitting causes harm, even if people are otherwise physically active. The finding contradicts NHS recommendations, which warn sitting for too long is bad for a person’s health, regardless of how much exercise they do.

“If someone goes to the gym or walks for 30 to 45 minutes a day, but sits down the rest of the time, then they are still described as having a sedentary lifestyle”, Biddle said.

“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”.

Dr. Richard Pulsford, lead author of the study from the University of Exeter said the study findings suggest that lessening the time spent on sitting may not be as crucial to death risks as previously believed, and that urging people to be more active should still be a priority for public health. After the analysis, the researchers found that all sitting measures identified at the beginning of the study did not have an impact on mortality risk.

Age, gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status, general health, smoking, alcohol consumption and diet were all taken into account.

In 2014, the NHS said on its website that there was increasing evidence linking excessive sitting with being obese, type 2 diabetes, a few types of cancer and premature death.

The biological mechanisms that underpin previously observed associations between sitting time and health outcomes will also be investigated.