Even if you are young and active, sitting for long periods of time can be detrimental to your health. Today's CU Boulder

Between long commutes, Zoom-filled weekdays, and nights spent streaming and scrolling, millennials now spend more than 60 hours a week sitting, according to a new study from the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of California. It can increase your risk of heart disease and accelerate other signs of aging. Riverside survey.

The study, which involved more than 1,000 former or current Colorado residents, including 730 twins, investigated the effects of prolonged sitting on health indicators such as cholesterol and body mass index (BMI) in young adults. This is the first study to examine whether it has an impact.

As a result, meeting the minimum recommended physical activity guidelines (about 20 minutes of moderate exercise per day) is not enough to combat the dangers of spending most of your waking hours in a seat. It turns out.

“Our research suggests that reducing the risk of premature aging in early adulthood may require sitting less throughout the day, more intense exercise, or a combination of both. “This suggests that there is,” said Professor Chandra Reynolds, lead author of the study. Institute of Psychology and Neuroscience and Behavioral Genetics.

For research, Published in the magazine “PLOS ONE”Reynolds teamed up with lead author Ryan Bruelman, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Genetics, Genomics, and Bioinformatics at the University of California, Riverside.

After the coronavirus pandemic, Bruelman noticed that she and others her age were sitting more. He set out to learn more about the results.

“Young adults tend to think that they are immune to the effects of aging. They think, 'My metabolism is great, so I don't have to worry about it until I'm in my 50s or 60s.' '' Bruelman said. “But what you do at this critical time in your life matters.”

A walk after work is not enough

The authors analyzed data from CU participants aged 28 to 49 years, with a mean age of 33 years. Colorado Adoption/Twin Lifespan Study on Behavioral Development and Cognitive Aging (CATSLife)I have been following my twins and adopted children since I was a child.

On average, participants sat for almost nine hours each day, with some sitting for as long as 16 hours. They reported an average of 80 to 160 minutes of moderate physical activity per week and less than 135 minutes of vigorous exercise per week. The authors note that these results are likely better than the national average, thanks to Colorado's active lifestyle.

The researchers focused on two important measures of cardiac and metabolic aging: total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein and body mass index (BMI). The study found that the more time you spend sitting, the older you look. And adding a little moderate activity to a long day of sitting did little to alleviate these effects.

In fact, the authors say that young people who sit for 8.5 hours per day and engage in less than current physical activity recommendations may be in the “moderate to high risk” category for cardiovascular and metabolic disease. Ta.

“A quick walk after work may not be enough,” Reynolds says. “This becomes increasingly pronounced with age, but we found that the association was already emerging in early adulthood.”

Adding strenuous activity had a buffering effect.

For example, people who exercised vigorously for 30 minutes each day (such as running or cycling) had cholesterol and BMI measurements that were similar to those of people 5 to 10 years younger who were equally sedentary but did not exercise.

However, even intense exercise cannot completely alleviate the negative effects of sitting for long periods of time, the study concludes.

Same genes, different lifestyle

Identical twins are especially useful for research because they share 100% of their genes. This makes it easier to rule out genetic factors that may contribute to differences in health and focus on lifestyle differences.

Researchers looked at some twins with different sedentary and physical activity habits and found that replacing sitting with exercise improved cholesterol better than simply adding exercise to a full day of sitting. found that it appears to be effective.

Bottom line, the researchers say: “Try them both.”

Reduce the amount of time you spend sitting at work by using a standing desk, taking breaks, and holding walking meetings. If you can, do something that leaves you out of breath for at least 30 minutes a day, or become a “weekend warrior” with longer, more intense workouts if possible, says Bruelman.

He hopes the study will serve as a call to action for policymakers to reconsider physical activity guidelines and clarify how much sitting is excessive.

Meanwhile, Reynolds encourages young people to take steps now that could shape their future.

“Now is the time to build habits that will benefit your long-term health.”