Lead author Emmanuel Stamatakis and colleagues fInd that sitting was associated with an increase risk for death among the least active individuals. However, this risk could be reduced or even eliminate by engaging in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) at currently recommended levels.
In their study, sitting time was associate consistently with both overall premature mortality; also cardiovascular disease mortality in the least physically active groups those doing under 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity per week.
Sedentary behavior
Studies have show that high levels of sedentary behavior and a lack of physical activity; hence are associate with adverse health outcomes. However, it was unclear how much MVPA people would need to engage in to offset; so the health risks associate with too much sitting. For the study, the team examine the association between sedentary behavior; so physical activity and mortality risk, as well as what levels of MVPA be need to offset the health risks link with sitting.
Over a period of almost nine years, the team follow up 149,077 Australian men and women (aged 45 and older) who had complete surveys about how many hours per day they spent sitting; so standing and sleeping, as well as how many they spent engaging in MVPA. The daily sitting time was divide into four categories; so less than four hours, four to less than six hours, between six and eight hours and more than eight hours.
Weekly physical activity was divide into five categories: “inactive” (no physical activity); “insufficiently active” (between one and 149 minutes); “sufficiently active” (150 to 299 minutes; which meets the lower limits of Australian physical activity recommendations); “sufficiently active” (300 to 419 minutes the upper limit of recommendations) and “highly active” (420 minutes or more).
Physical activity recommendations
As report in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology; so sitting down for more than six hours per day was associate with an increase risk of death from cardiovascular disease. However, this effect was mainly see among people who did not meet physical activity recommendations. Aside from individuals who sat for more than 8 hours per day; so meeting just the lowest limit of recommendations eliminate the association with all-cause mortality risk.
Compare with individuals who were highly active with a sitting time of fewer than four hours per day; so the mortality risk remaine significantly higher; hence even among inactive individuals with a sitting time of only 4 hours per day. Meeting the Australian public health recommendation of 150 to 300 minutes per week equivalent; so to around 20-40 minutes per day on average – appear to eliminate sitting risks,” says Stamatakis.
The study’s take-home message is that engaging in physical activity; so it is especially important for people who spend a lot of time sitting. Although reducing sitting time would help, it is not enough to reduce mortality risk; the main lifestyle change such people would need to make is to engage in more physical activity.