Prolonged Sitting Boosts Bad Health

Jan. 19, 2010 -- If you are reading this while sitting down, you might want
to stand up for moment.
A new editorial published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine
suggests that people who sit still for prolonged periods of time -- such as
desk workers or coach potatoes -- have a higher risk of disease than those who
move a muscle every now and then in a non-exercise manner, such as walking up
the stairs to grab a cup of coffee.  
Prolonged sitting promotes a lack of whole-body muscle movement, which the
Swedish-based researchers say is the more correct way to define sedentary
behavior. Many people mistakenly believe the term “sedentary�? refers to people
who do not exercise. But the research team proposes that sedentary behavior is
instead a distinct class of behaviors, unrelated to a lack of exercise, that
boost bad health. Behaviors can include habits like TV watching. For example,
recent evidence has shown that sitting in front of the TV for hours on end can
raise your risk of early death from
heart disease. A woman’s risk of metabolic syndrome, a
precursor to
diabetes and heart disease, jumps 26% for every extra hour she sits in
front of the TV, according to one cited study. Whole-body muscular inactivity
associated with prolonged sitting has also been strongly linked to obesity and
even certain types of cancer.
Although the cause-effect relationship between prolonged sitting and bad
health needs to be more clearly established, researchers say it appears that
muscle movement and contractions may play a role in controlling important blood
fats.
The editorialists warn that the health of people who are glued to the TV or
tied to a desk for extended periods is especially at risk if they forgo
exercise altogether.
They encourage health care practitioners to emphasize the importance of
simple, non-exercise activities, and how such simple movements may ward off bad
health. “Climbing the stairs, rather than using elevators and escalators, five
minutes of break during sedentary work, or walking to the store rather than
taking the car will be as important as exercise,�? the team says in a news
release.
http://www .webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20100119/prolonged-sitting-boosts-bad-health?src=RSS_PUBLIC