A study finds the amount of time a person sits during the day is associated with a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and death, regardless of regular exercise.
“More than one half of an average person’s day is spent being sedentary—sitting, watching television or working at a computer,” says senior author Dr. David Alter, who’s a senior scientist at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute.
“Our study finds that despite the health-enhancing benefits of physical activity, this alone may not be enough to reduce the risk for disease,” he adds.
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The meta-analysis study reviewed studies focused on sedentary behaviour. The researchers also found that the negative health effects of prolonged sitting are more obvious among those who do little or no exercise than those who do more exercise.
Alter says people should aim to decrease sedentary time by two to three hours in a 12-hour day.
“Avoiding sedentary time and getting regular exercise are both important for improving your health and survival,” he explains. “It is not good enough to exercise for 30 minutes a day and be sedentary for 23-and-a-half hours.”
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