A new study suggests that sitting too much can lead to premature death, even for those who exercise.
The study, published recently in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that sitting for long periods of time can lead to higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and death,
regardless of regular exercise, the Toronto Star reported.
"Our study finds that despite the health-enhancing benefits of physical activity, this alone may not be enough to reduce the risk for disease," the study’s leader, Dr. David Alter, a senior scientist at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, said.
Alter encourages people to get up and walk around for a few minutes every half hour, the Star said. Standing burns twice as many calories as sitting and strengthens bones and muscles.
"It’s about breaking the mold of our culture, which has had us going from hunters and gatherers to sitting all the time," Alter said.
The research combines the findings of
47 previous studies, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Those who exercise regularly but sit for much of the day are better off than those who don’t exercise, being about 30 percent less likely to die of any cause at any given period. But they’re still 16 percent more likely to die of any cause in a given time than those who do not sit for long, the Los Angeles Times said.
Those who sit for eight to 12 hours or more a day are also 90 percent more likely to
develop type 2 diabetes, CNN reported.
Twitter users took the news lying down.
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