Diabetes

Adults who Sit for More than 30 Minutes Increase Risk of Premature Death

A recent study has revealed that sitting for periods as short as 30 minutes without getting up and moving around can increase an individual’s chance of dying prematurely. Exercise habits do not seem to affect this risk in any way, the study done by the Center for Behavioral Cardiovascular Health at Columbia University Medical Center in New York indicated.

The study’s results indicated that everyone needs to avoid sitting for more than 30 minutes at a time regardless of exercise habits or age. Previously, studies had been conducted that required individuals to write down their levels of activity. However, this data was not the most reliable. This new study used accelerometers to gather information from 7,985 adults in the study. These adults were all over age 45.

The data showed that participants tended to be sedentary for an average of 77% of the time they were awake. Over a period of four years, 240 of these participants died. Those who lived a much more sedentary lifestyle than average were twice as likely to risk dying prematurely.

The study does note that there was no control group. The accelerometers used were also unable to tell when a person was sitting and when they were standing motionless, a factor that could be significant.

 

These findings were published in Annals of Internal Medicine on September 11, 2017.

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