A STAND AGAINST SITTING
JUST 30-40 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise each day can lower the health risks of prolonged sitting, which include early death, new research has found.
The peer-reviewed research published on Thursday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine analysed data from more than 44,000 people across four countries.
The findings confirmed existing findings that a high amount of daily sedentary time, defined as more than 10.7 hours a day, is linked to a significantly heightened risk of death, particularly among people who are physically inactive.
But it found 30 to 40 daily minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) substantially weakened this risk, reducing it to levels associated with very low amounts of sedentary time. Because participants wore activity monitors, as opposed to self-reporting activity levels, researchers were able to quantify the amount of time spent in activity needed to reduce the risk of premature death associated with sedentary time.
“The association between sedentary time and higher risk of death appears attenuated, although not completely eliminated, in those in the highest third of time spent in MVPA,” the researchers wrote. “In contrast, those with low physical activity (lowest third) had a higher risk of premature death.”
University student Jasmine Lykissas, 21, who exercises “basically every day”, said she was pleased to know her high-intensity exercise helped to counteract her time sitting. “On busy days I would spend around eight hours seated,” Ms Lykissas said.