Wait, are standing desks bad? What company employees can do

October 30, 2024 – After years of scientists warning about the negative health effects of sitting, Australian researchers recently reported The ranking may not be that high either. This is a potentially frustrating finding for a growing number of people. standing desk Users all over the world.

of study It has been found that spending more time on your feet does not reduce your risk of problems such as heart disease and stroke, and may even increase your risk of cardiovascular problems such as varicose veins and deep vein thrombosis. “Standing desks may be bad for your health” heading read.

“Sitting is still bad for your health, but standing itself is not a silver bullet,” study authors say Matthew AhmadiPhD, Deputy Director of the Wearables Research Hub and Researcher in the Physical Activity, Lifestyle and Population Health Research Group at the University of Sydney, Australia. “You need to combine it with other forms of activity that actually move your body, because if you want to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease, you need to do activities that actually engage your cardiovascular system.”

For people who sat for more than 10 hours a day, each additional hour of sitting was associated with a 15% increased risk of heart disease and a 26% increased risk of orthostatic cardiovascular disease. orthostatic hypotensionvaricose veins, chronic venous insufficiency, or venous ulcers. This part wasn't surprising, given the growing evidence linking too much sitting to negative outcomes, including: obesity, knee pain, cancerand premature death.

Sitting causes your blood vessels to bend, Duran says. Over time, this can impair the function of your arteries and increase your risk of narrowing them, which can lead to problems such as heart attacks and strokes. And because you burn so few calories when you're sitting, cholesterol and blood sugar build up in your bloodstream instead of being burned.

Ahmadi said the health risks (or benefits) of standing compared to sitting are not clear.

“Much of the research on standing has been done using cardiometabolic markers and soft endpoints such as insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, and triglyceride levels,” he says. “We are one of the first studies to look at this issue using hard clinical endpoints, such as heart disease and circulatory disease, which can lead to so-called hospitalization.”

Ahmadi's team found that standing neither increased nor decreased cardiovascular risk. Standing for more than two hours a day was also associated with orthostatic cardiovascular disease, with each additional 30 minutes of vertical standing increasing the risk by 11%.

“Standing desks are still a great gateway to mobility,” said Duran, who uses a standing desk. “Get up and try stretching, squatting, or doing something that causes your skeletal muscles to contract instead of just standing there.”

She also keeps a small weight set next to her desk. This is great for doing bicep curls during off-camera virtual meetings.

Duran said you should be traveling at least five minutes every hour, but it's better than none. If you have to sit, stretch your legs and raise and lower them from time to time to stretch and contract your muscles.

Ahmadi keeps a small water bottle on his desk. Once your bottle is empty, you walk to the fountain to refill it every hour. Then he walks around for a few more minutes.

You can also get a serious workout by combining short exercises throughout the day. the study It has been suggested that three 10-minute walks may improve heart and blood vessel health than one 30-minute walk. Short periods of exercise probably require more energy than longer periods of exercise, so they can also help control postprandial blood sugar spikes (a risk factor for heart disease). the study is shown.

“The best combination to improve cardiovascular health is to combine standing with other forms of physical activity,” Ahmadi says. In other words, keep your standing desk. Don't forget to include movement.