ISLAMABAD: People who sit for extended periods of time without taking short breaks are at risk for heart disease than those who take more frequent timeouts to stand up and walk around, suggests a study.
The cardiovascular risk that stems from remaining sedentary for prolonged periods of time (at the office, for example) manifests itself in the form of larger waists, higher blood pressure, increased body inflammation and lower levels of `good' cholesterol.
In developed countries people spend more than half of their day sitting, on an average. To explore the potential connection between short breaks and cardiovascular risks, researchers from UK followed 4757 men and women aged 20 years and above for three years.
All participants had been outfitted with an accelerometer on their hips, to monitor a week's worth of walking, running and sitting routines.
Researchers also looked at heart disease-related risk factors, including blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The most sedentary participants were found to sit a little more than 21 hours per day, while the least sedentary sat just under two hours per day.
It was found that the longer the participants spent being sedentary the larger was their waist circumference. Overall, those who took the most breaks from sitting were found to have the smallest waists.
The findings suggest that even small changes to a person's activity levels might help to lower cardiovascular risk. These changes can be readily incorporated into the person's day-to-day life including the work environment.
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