A new study indicates that the steady practice of sitting around during leisure time puts people at a much higher risk of death. Although it might at first sound like another open-and-shut, common-sense statement of facts, the study is unique because it may be the lone high-sample study that focuses solely on sitting as it relates to death risk.
The study did not focus on other physical activity or other factors commonly associated with mortality rates such as body mass index, alcoholic intake or smoking.
Disregarding these factors, the study found that women who sat in leisure for more than 6 hours a day during the study period were 37 percent more likely to die. Men who sat in leisure for more than 6 hours a day were 18 percent more likely to die during the study period. The numbers were very similar even when physical activity was considered.
The authors of the study utilized responses from a previous American Cancer Society study to arrive at their results. More than 53,000 men and 69,000 women took part in the study between 1993 and 2006. More than 11,000 men and nearly 8,000 women died before the study period ended. Study results indicated that there was also a significantly higher risk of death for those who sat in leisure for three to five hours per day, as compared to those who sat less than three hours.
There is no refuting the fact that sitting around increases the likelihood of obesity and disease. Along these lines, the study results showed that those who sat for more than six hours in their leisure per day and did not exercise at all were much more likely to die: women were 94 percent more likely and men 48 percent more likely.
Although the study was limited by a lack of data for occupational physical activity and energy expenditure during leisure sitting, as well as the fact the data was self-reported, the study authors say there is a certain defined message in the study results: public health strategies should begin to focus on decreasing the amount of time adults spend sitting – even if they are not engaged in physical activity. A new term called “inactivity physiology” indicates that sitting can suppress hormones that affect triglycerides, cholesterol and other indicators for heart disease, etc.
The study appears in the current online issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.
We specialize in providing our over 1,000,000 customers with relevant product and condition information created by our professional editorial staff which includes our team of medical writers, medical practitioners, and health educators. eDrugStore.com Staff on Facebook