Sitting too much could lead to early death

SITTING for over eight hours a day has been linked to a 20 per cent higher risk of stroke, heart failure and death.

According to a study, people who sit for less than four hours a day have better cardiovascular health a decade later.

Researchers recruited more than 100,000 people and measured their daily sitting time across 11 years to find out whether it was associated with major cardiovascular disease or mortality.

Results revealed those who sat for longer than eight hours daily were, on average, 21 per cent more likely to have had a stroke or heart failure compared to those who sat for less than four hours, and 20 per cent more likely to have died from any cause.

Published in the journal Jama Cardiology, the research, from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada and Peking Union Medical College in Beijing, found reducing sedentary time along with increasing physical activity might be an important strategy for easing the global burden of premature deaths from cardiovascular disease.

While the association was strongest for lower-income countries, there was also a link for higher-income countries.

Co-author Simon Lear said ‘sitting less and moving more’ is a ‘low-cost intervention that can have enormous benefits’. The World Health Organisation advises adults aged 18–64 do 150 to 300 minutes of moderateintensity physical activity a week, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity.

Previous studies have suggested that being inactive can contribute to fatty material building up in the arteries.

Earlier this month San Diego State University researchers discovered every hour sat on the sofa during the day could raise the risk of having a stroke by 14 per cent. Sitting around for more than 17 minutes at a time in middle age could also make a stroke in later life more likely.