Spending more time on your feet does not reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and may increase it

Standing is gaining popularity among people looking to compensate for the harms of a sedentary lifestyle caused by spending long hours sitting in front of a computer, television, or drive wheel. Standing desks have become a popular choice among office workers, and other industries, such as retail, may choose to have employees stand instead of sit.

However, sometimes those efforts do not yield the intended results. New University of Sydney research shows that in the long term, standing for longer periods of time compared to sitting does not improve cardiovascular health (coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure); It has been shown that there may be an increased risk of circulatory problems such as varicose veins related to position. Venous and deep vein thrombosis.

This study International Journal of Epidemiology They also found that sitting for more than 10 hours a day increases both cardiovascular disease and orthostatic risk, reinforcing the need for more physical activity throughout the day. The study also noted that increased standing time was not associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

lead author of Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences and Deputy Director Charles Perkins Center Mackenzie Wearable Research HubPh.D. Matthew Ahmadisaid there are other ways people with sedentary lifestyles can improve their cardiovascular health.

“The important point is that standing for long periods of time does not compensate for a sedentary lifestyle and for some people can be dangerous in terms of cardiovascular health. “We found that spending more time there does not improve long-term cardiovascular health and increases the risk of cardiovascular problems,” Dr. Ahmadi said.

Researchers found no health benefits to standing more, but cautioned against sitting for long periods of time, warning people who sit regularly or who often stand for long periods of time. recommended that people plan to move their bodies regularly throughout the day.

“For people who sit for long periods of time on a daily basis, getting lots of incidental or structured exercise throughout the day may be a better way to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. '' he said. Professor Emmanuel StamatakisDirector of the MacKenzie Wearables Research Hub.

“Take regular breaks, walk around, go to walking meetings, take the stairs, take regular breaks when driving long distances, and use your lunch break to get away from your desk and move your body. “We're entering warmer weather in Australia, so the weather is perfect for getting out of the sun and getting some exercise,” he said.

Professor Stamatakis and Dr. Ahmadi Research published earlier this year Research shows that about 6 minutes of vigorous exercise per day, or 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise, may lower the risk of heart disease, even for people who often sit for more than 11 hours a day. I discovered it.

The study was carried out using incidental heart and circulatory disease data taken over seven to eight years from 83,013 UK adults who had no heart disease at baseline. Measured using a research-grade wrist-worn wearable.

The data used in this study were not collected explicitly regarding the use of standing desks. Instead, we measured the cardiovascular and circulatory effects of increased standing. The use of standing desks in this study is considered to be a very small proportion of total standing.

declaration

The researchers declare that they have no competing interests. Dr Matthew Ahmadi receives funding from the National Heart Foundation and Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council.

The study was carried out using data collected by the UK Biobank. UK Biobank is a large-scale biomedical database and research resource containing anonymized genetic, lifestyle and health information and biological samples from 500,000 participants in the UK. It is the most comprehensive and widely used dataset of its kind, and is used worldwide by accredited researchers working on health-related research in the public interest, whether academic, commercial, government, or philanthropic. You can access it at UK Biobank supports advances in modern medicine and contributes to a better understanding of the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of a range of serious and life-threatening diseases, including cancer, heart disease and stroke. Over 30,000 researchers from over 90 countries have registered to use UK Biobank, resulting in the publication of over 12,000 peer-reviewed papers.