Prolonged sitting increases risk of obesity, heart disease

ISLAMABAD: The health implications of prolonged sitting has become a hot topic of late, with numerous studies suggesting it can raise the risk of obesity, heart disease and even premature death.

Now, new research adds fuel to the fire, revealing that sitting for more than 3 hours daily is responsible for around 3.8% of all cause deaths over 54 countries.

But it’s not all bad news, the study also found that we can increase life expectancy by an average of 0.2 years by reducing sitting time to less than 3 hours a day.

Lead researcher Leandro Rezende, of the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Sao Paulo School of Medicine in Brazil, and colleagues publish their findings in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

On average, Americans spend up to 13 hours a day sitting with around 7.5 hours spent sitting at work which researchers claim can wreak havoc on health.

Last January for example Medical News Today reported on a study that suggested prolonged sitting can increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and premature death, regardless of physical activity status.

And a more recent study found that for heart disease patients, sitting for long periods can worsen health, even if they are active.