Friday 29 July 2016

Even one hour of daily activity reduces health risks from prolonged sitting

Even one hour of daily activity reduces health risks from prolonged sitting A meta-analysis of 16 trials involving more than 1 million men and women has yet again found in favor of physical activity as against a sedentary lifestyle, as reported in a study published online 27th July 2016 in The Lancet. This is the first meta-analysis to use a harmonized approach to directly compare mortality between people with different levels of sitting time and physical activity. According to the study, prolonged sitting enhances all-cause mortality, with most deaths being due to cardiovascular disease and cancer (breast, colon, and colorectal). And, high levels of moderate intensity physical activity, about 60–75 min per day, may eliminate mortality risk associated with prolonged sitting time, but not the high risk associated with high TV-viewing time. • Daily sitting time was not associated with increased all-cause mortality in those in the most active quartile of physical activity. • Compared with the referent (<4 h of sitting per day and highest quartile of physical activity [>35•5 MET-h per week]), there was no increased risk of mortality during follow-up in those who sat for >8 h/day but who also reported >35•5 MET-h per week of activity. • Those who sat the least (<4 h/day) and were in the lowest activity quartile (<2•5 MET-h per week) had a significantly higher risk of dying during follow-up. These are results that may have significant implication for hundreds of office workers, who have sedentary jobs and have to sit for long hours at their work place … that it is important to be physically active, even if it is for only an hour in a day. Brisk walking is the simplest and most inexpensive form of exercise.

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