Nowadays, it is very easy to spend many hours sitting down, whether it’s at work, school, university, home, during free time, or while traveling. However, recent scientific studies have shown that this sedentary lifestyle can lead to health issues for both the heart and brain. In this article, we will look at two studies that shed light on this topic.
The first study was conducted by an international team of scientists from China, Canada, the United States, Turkey, Brazil, Sweden, and Saudi Arabia and was published in the journal JAMA Cardiology in June 2022. The researchers recruited 105,677 adults between the ages of 35 and 70 from 21 countries. The participants were asked about the amount of time they spent sitting and engaging in physical activity. The study followed the participants for more than 10 years to assess their health status.
The results showed that those who sit for more than 8 hours a day have a 17 to 50% higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases than those who sit for an average of 4 hours a day and engage in physical activity. Although physical activity can reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, it cannot completely reverse the process. The ideal balance is to spend less time sitting and more time engaging in physical activity.
The second study was conducted by a team from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles and was published in the journal JAMA in September 2023. This study followed 49,841 adults aged 60 and over for 6 years. The results showed that sitting for many hours a day increases the risk of dementia. Specifically, those who sit for 10 hours a day have an 8% greater risk of developing dementia than those who sit for less than 10 hours a day. Those who sit for 12 hours a day can see their risk of developing dementia increase by as much as 63%! The study found that it does not matter how sedentary hours are accumulated, whether they are interrupted by small walks, even physical activity lasting a few hours, or are continuous. What matters is the total amount of time spent sitting.
Both studies highlight the importance of moving and avoiding prolonged periods of sitting. It is easy to spend many hours sitting down, but as we have seen, this can lead to serious health issues. It is important to engage in moderate physical activity such as walking, swimming, biking, or jogging, and to take small measures to reduce the number of hours spent sitting. For example, one can take the stairs instead of the elevator, stand up from the office chair or sofa at home, walk while talking on the phone, do household chores, or walk the dog. These small changes can help protect your health and reduce the risk of developing heart disease and cognitive impairment.