Tag: sedentary time

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Uninterrupted Sedentary Time Linked to Increased Cancer Risk

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Data from more than 91 000 participants in the UK Biobank who wore activity monitors for seven days revealed an association between prolonged sedentary behaviour and the risk of cancer death

Each additional hour of prolonged, uninterrupted sedentary behaviour in a person’s day is associated with a 9% higher risk of cancer death, according to a study published July 2nd in the open access journal PLOS Medicine by Frederick Ho of the University of Glasgow, UK, and colleagues.

Previous studies have shown that spending more total time on sedentary behaviour, such as sitting, reclining or lying down while awake, is linked to poorer health outcomes. However, most sedentary behaviour guidelines focus on total time spent sedentary, rather than whether that time is accumulated in many short intervals or fewer prolonged intervals.

In the new study, researchers analysed data from 91 292 UK Biobank participants who had worn activity monitors for 7 days and were followed for a median of 12.38 years afterward. Activity was categorized as either prolonged sedentary (bouts of at least 30 minutes with at least 90% of time sedentary), interrupted sedentary behaviour (which lasted less than 30 minutes or was broken up with more than 10% non-sedentary time), or varying degrees of physical activity.

Prolonged sedentary behaviour was associated with a higher risk of cancer mortality (HR 1.09; 95% CI 1.06, 1.11), overall cancer incidence, obesity-related cancers (such as oesophageal, liver, kidney, pancreatic, colorectal, breast, ovarian, and thyroid cancers), and type 2 diabetes-related cancers. Interrupted sedentary behaviour showed the opposite pattern, associated with lower risk across all outcomes. Replacing one hour per day of prolonged sedentary behaviour with light physical activity was associated with a 12% lower risk of cancer death (HR 0.88; 95% CI 0.79, 0.99).

As a single-cohort study of UK Biobank volunteers, who have known health volunteer bias and higher physical activity levels than the general UK population, the findings may not be generalisable and do not prove causality. The researchers also had no data on the context of sedentary behaviour, such as whether it was during work or driving.

“Our findings suggest that the health effects of sedentary behaviour may depend not only on total sedentary time, but also on whether that time is accumulated in prolonged bouts or interrupted by activity,” the authors say. “This pattern is biologically plausible: experimental studies have shown that interrupting prolonged sitting with short bouts of activity can improve metabolic responses compared with uninterrupted sitting.”

The authors add, “Current health guidelines focus heavily on moderate or vigorous exercise, but our findings show that light movement shouldn’t be ignored. Moving forward, clinical trials will help us move beyond blanket advice and develop personalised strategies for breaking up sitting time.”

Provided by PLOS

Categories : Exercise Mental HealthTags :

For Better Mental Health in Middle Age, Watch Less TV

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Photo by RDNE Stock project

Replacing time spent watching TV with other activities can help prevent depressive disorder in middle-aged adults, revealed a new study in European Psychiatry, published on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association by Cambridge University Press. The effects were less pronounced in older and younger adults.  

Lead researcher Rosa Palazuelos-González, of the University of Groningen, said that this new study is unique for investigating how reallocating time from TV-watching to various physical activities and sleep affects the onset of depression. Most studies until now have focused on identifying correlations between sedentary lifestyles and incidences of depression, rather than tracking how replacement activities affect the condition. 

“We found that reducing TV-watching time by 60 minutes and reallocating it to other activities decreased the likelihood of developing major depression by 11 percent,” said Palazuelos-González. 

“For 90- and 120-minute reallocations, this decrease in likelihood goes up to 25.91 percent.” 

Middle-aged people benefit more from watching less 

The benefits for middle-aged people who replace TV-watching with other activities are especially pronounced. Among this demographic, reallocating 60 minutes daily from TV-watching to other activities decreased the probability of developing depression by 18.8%. Reallocating 90 minutes resulted in decreased likelihood of 29%, and 120 minutes led to a reduction of 43%. 

All reallocations of TV-watching time to specific activities were associated with reduced depression risk, except for reallocating only 30 minutes to household activities, which did not yield a significant effect. When reallocating 30 minutes specifically to sports, the reduction was 18%; to work/school physical activities, 10.2%; to leisure/commute activities, 8%; and to sleep, 9%. Time reallocations to sports, at any given duration, resulted in the largest reductions in the probability of major depression onset compared to all other activities. 

Fewer comparable benefits for older adults and young adults 

In older adults, reallocating TV-watching time proportionally to other activities did not lead to statistically significant reductions in onset of depression. Only substituting TV-watching time with sports reduced the probability of becoming depressed, from 1.01 to 0.71% with 30 minutes, 0.63% with 60 minutes, and 0.56% with 90 minutes. 

In young adults, reallocating TV-watching time to one or multiple movement activities did not significantly change the likelihood of them developing depression. However, this group is also more physically active than older age groups – the researchers suggest that they may have already surpassed the physical activity threshold that is protective against depression.  

This research was developed using a population-based cohort study (a Dutch initiative named ‘Lifelines’) with a four-year follow-up, which included 65 454 non-depressed adults. Patterns across age groups were examined carefully. Participants self-reported time spent in active commuting, leisure, sports, household, physical-related activities at work or school, TV-watching, and sleep. Major depressive disorder was assessed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. 

Source: EurekAlert!

Categories : Ageing Cardiovascular DiseaseTags :

Sitting for Long Stretches Raises Heart and Diabetes Risks – Even in Active Older Adults

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Photo by JD Mason on Unsplash

Spending too long sitting raises the risk of heart disease and diabetes in people over 60, warns a major global review. Published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health, the review analysed data from 28 international studies involving 82 000 people aged 60 and older.

It flags strong links between sitting time and worsening markers for chronic disease including high blood sugar, cholesterol, waist size, and blood pressure. And that’s even for people who exercise regularly.

That means — whether watching TV, using a tablet or reading a book — the longer older people sit, the higher their risk of major health problems like heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

“This is a link we can’t ignore,” said Dr Daniel Bailey, Reader in Sedentary Behaviour and Health at the Department of Life Sciences, Brunel University of London. “You can meet the weekly exercise target, but if you spend the rest of the day sitting, your health is still at risk.”

In the UK, where more than 12 million people are aged 65 or older, older adults can spend up to 80% of their waking hours sitting down and longer during winter or for people with mobility issues. That means millions may be unknowingly accumulating risks day after day — a concern for families, carers, and health professionals.

One of the most revealing findings was that the harmful effect of sitting for long periods showed up even in otherwise healthy older adults, not just those already diagnosed with illness. Waist measurement, a major predictor of health risk, had the strongest, most consistent link with sitting time.

“We’re seeing these impacts in people who don’t yet feel unwell,” said Dr Bailey. “That means we have a chance to intervene early and protect health before problems start.”

Importantly, the study found limited protective effect from exercise alone. After accounting for how active people were, the damage from long hours of sitting remains.

“The evidence is clear. We urgently need strategies that don’t just encourage exercise, but also help people sit less throughout the day,” said Dr Bailey. “Simple changes make a difference —standing during phone calls, replacing some TV time with gardening or a stroll, or light chores around the house.”

The study by Brunel University of London, the University of Lincoln, Federation University in Australia, and the University of Bedfordshire is the most comprehensive analysis to date linking sedentary behaviour to cardiometabolic risk in later life. As the NHS contends with rising rates of diabetes and heart disease, it spells out to policymakers that keeping moving throughout the day is as vital as structured exercise.

Dr Bailey stressed the shared role of public services, community groups and healthcare professionals to help older people avoid sitting for long stretches: “From GP advice to local councils and charities, there’s a role for everyone in changing the message.”

Source: Brunel University of London

Categories : Cardiovascular DiseaseTags :

After Cardiac Event, Excessive Sedentary Time Led to Increased Risk of Another Event

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People who sit or remain sedentary for more than 14 hours a day, on average, may have a higher risk of a cardiovascular event or death in the year after treatment at a hospital for symptoms of a heart attack such as chest pain, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association’s peer-reviewed scientific journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

Previous research from the study authors found that people who had experienced a heart attack were spending up to 12 to 13 hours each day being sedentary, defined as any awake activity that involved little-to-no physical movement. In this study, the researchers used a wrist accelerometer to track the amount of time each participant spent moving or being sedentary for a median of 30 days after discharge from a hospital’s emergency department. 

Wrist accelerometers measure the acceleration of motion in three directions: forwards and backwards, side-to-side, and up and down. These measurements allowed the researchers to infer the intensity of a participant’s physical activity, and they provide more accurate measurements of the participants’ time spent moving, rather than asking participants to remember. Some examples of moderate intensity physical activities are brisk walking, water aerobics, dancing, playing doubles tennis or gardening, and examples of vigorous-intensity activities are running, lap swimming, heavy yardwork such as continuous digging or hoeing, playing singles tennis or jumping rope.

”Current treatment guidelines after a cardiac event focus mainly on encouraging patients to exercise regularly,” said study lead author Keith Diaz, Ph.D., the Florence Irving Associate Professor of Behavioral Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, a certified exercise physiologist and a volunteer member of the American Heart Association’s Physical Activity Science Committee. “In our study, we explored whether sedentary time itself may contribute to cardiovascular risk.”

Researchers followed more than 600 adults, ages 21 to 96, treated for a heart attack or chest pain in the emergency department at a single hospital system in New York City. Participants wore a wrist accelerometer for a median of 30 consecutive days after hospital discharge to measure the amount of time they spent sitting or being inactive each day. Additional cardiac events and deaths were evaluated one year after hospital discharge via phone surveys with patients, electronic health records and the Social Security Death Index. The study was focused on understanding the risk of sedentary behavior and identifying modifiable risk factors that may improve long-term outcomes in this high-risk group.

The analysis found:

  • Compared to participants in the group with the highest physical activity level, those in the group with the lowest activity level had a 2.58 times higher risk of having another heart problem or dying within the next year.
  • Replacing 30 minutes of sedentary time with 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity, daily, reduced the risk of adverse cardiovascular events or death by 61%; replacing the sedentary time with light-intensity physical activity reduced risk by 50%; and replacing the sedentary time with 30 minutes of sleep lowered risk by 14%.
  • According to accelerometer data, participants in the most physically active group had average daily physical activity measures of 143.8 minutes of light physical activity; 25 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity; 11.7 hours spent sedentary; and 8.4 hours of sleep.
  • Participants in the least physically active group had daily averages of 82.2 minutes each day of light physical activity; 2.7 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity; 15.6 hours spent sedentary; and 6.6 hours of sleep.
  • Participants in the group between most and least physically active had daily averages of 109.2 minutes of light intensity physical activity; 11.4 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity; 13.5 hours spent sedentary and 7.8 hours of sleep.

“We were surprised that replacing sedentary time with sleep also lowered risk. Sleep is a restorative behavior that helps the body and mind recover, which is especially important after a serious health event like a heart attack,” Diaz said. “Our study indicates that one doesn’t have to start running marathons after a cardiovascular event to see benefits. Sitting less and moving or sleeping a little more can make a real difference. More physical activity and more sleep are healthier than sitting, so we hope these findings support health professionals to move toward a more holistic, flexible and individualized approach for physical activity in patients after a heart attack or chest pain.”

Physical activity and sleep are both key components of the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8, a list of health behaviours and factors that support optimal cardiovascular health. Poor sleep is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease, which claims more lives each year in the U.S. than all forms of cancer and chronic lower respiratory disease combined, according to the American Heart Association’s 2025 Statistical Update. In addition to sleep duration, a recent scientific statement from the Association highlighted the importance of sleep continuity, sleep timing, sleep satisfaction, sleep regularity, sleep-related daytime functioning and sleep architecture in cardiometabolic health.

The study had several limitations, including that the definition of sedentary behaviour was based only on the intensity level of physical movement, meaning that the study may have overestimated the time participants spent in sedentary behaviour. Additionally, there was no information about participants’ income and characteristics of the neighbourhoods where they live, which limits the study’s ability to account for social and environmental factors, including participants’ risk of one-year cardiac events and deaths. Also, hospital discharge information about whether patients were sent home, referred to rehabilitation or referred to other care centres such as skilled nursing facilities were not collected. This limited the study’s ability to fully assess whether the patients’ settings had an impact on their recovery.

Source: American Heart Association

Categories : Cardiovascular DiseaseTags :

Standing Time at Work can be Detrimental to Blood Pressure

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Photo by Emmanuel Ikwuegbe on Unsplash

A Finnish study found that prolonged standing at work had a negative impact on the research participants’ 24-hour blood pressure. In contrast, spending more time sitting at work was associated with better blood pressure. The study suggests that the type of activity during working hours may be more relevant to 24-hour blood pressure than recreational physical activity.

Regular exercise is important for controlling blood pressure. In particular, more vigorous, aerobic exercise is effective for lowering blood pressure, but also everyday physical activity can have a beneficial impact. Previous studies have shown that exercise in leisure time is more beneficial for the cardiovascular system than physical activity at work, which can even be detrimental to health.

24-hour blood pressure important for cardiovascular health

In the Finnish Retirement and Aging study (FIREA) conducted at the University of Turku, the physical activity of municipal employees approaching retirement age was measured using thigh-worn accelerometers during working hours, leisure time, and days off.

In addition, the research participants used a portable blood pressure monitor that automatically measured their blood pressure every 30 minutes for 24 hours.

“Rather than any single measurement, 24-hour blood pressure is a better indication of how blood pressure stresses the heart and blood vessels throughout the day and night. If blood pressure is slightly high throughout the day and does not fall sufficiently even at night, blood vessels start to stiffen and the heart has to work harder to cope with the increased pressure. Over the years, this can lead to the development of cardiovascular disease,” says Doctoral Researcher Jooa Norha.

Take a break from standing during the workday

The latest results confirm previous findings that physical activity at work can be harmful to the heart and circulatory system.

In particular, prolonged standing can raise blood pressure as the body boosts circulation to the lower limbs by constricting blood vessels and increasing the pumping power of the heart.

“A standing desk can provide a nice change from sitting at the office, but too much standing can be harmful. It’s a good idea to take a break from standing during the work day, either by walking every half an hour or sitting for some parts of the day,” Norha recommends.

Recreational physical activity is also needed

In addition, the results of the study suggest that sedentary work in itself is not necessarily harmful to blood pressure.

Instead, researchers stress the importance of recreational physical activity for both office and construction workers.

“It is good to remember that being physically active at work is not enough on its own. Engaging in diverse physical exercise during leisure time helps to maintain fitness, making work-related strain more manageable. Similarly, employees with predominantly sedentary jobs should ensure that they get enough exercise during their leisure time,” Norha highlights.

Source: University of TYurku

Categories : Cardiovascular Disease PaediatricsTags :

Breaking up Sedentary Time with Light Exercise Lowers BP

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Photo by Victoria Akvarel on Pexels

More than six sedentary hours per day from childhood through young adulthood may cause an excess increase of 4mmHg in systolic blood pressure, a new study shows. Continuously engaging in light physical activity (LPA) significantly mitigated the rise in blood pressure – while longer bouts of more vigorous exercise . The results were published in the prestigious Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle.

In the present study, a collaboration between the Universities of Bristol and Exeter, and the University of Eastern Finland, 2513 children drawn from the Children of the 90s cohort were followed up from age 11 until 24 years. At baseline, the children spent six hours per day sedentary, six hours per day engaging in LPA, and approximately 55 minutes per day in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). At follow-up in young adulthood, nine hours per day were spent sedentary, three hours per day in LPA, and approximately 50 minutes per day in MVPA. 

The average blood pressure in childhood was 106/56mmHg which increased to 117/67mmHg in young adulthood, partly due to normal physiological development. Persistent increase in sedentary time from age 11 through 24 years was associated with an average of 4mmHg excess increase in systolic blood pressure. Participating in LPA from childhood lowered the final level by 3mmHg, but engaging in MVPA had no blood pressure-lowering effect. 

“Furthermore, when 10 minutes out of every hour spent sedentary was  replaced with an equal amount of LPA from childhood through young adulthood in a simulation model, systolic blood pressure decreased by 3mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by 2mmHg. This is significant, as it has been reported in adults that a systolic blood pressure reduction of 5mmHg decreases the risk of heart attack and stroke by ten percent,” says Andrew Agbaje, an award-winning physician and associate professor (docent) of Clinical Epidemiology and Child Health at the University of Eastern Finland.

The current study is the largest and the longest follow-up of accelerometer-measured movement behaviour and blood pressure progression in youth in the world. Measurements of blood pressure, sedentary time, LPA and, MVPA were taken at ages 11, 15, and 24 years. The children’s fasting blood samples were also repeatedly measured for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, insulin, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. Heart rate, socio-economic status, family history of cardiovascular disease, smoking status as well as dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry measured fat mass and lean mass were accounted for in the analyses. 

“We have earlier shown that elevated blood pressure and hypertension in adolescence increase the risk of premature cardiac damage in young adulthood. The identification of childhood sedentariness as a potential cause of elevated blood pressure and hypertension with LPA as an effective antidote is of clinical and public health significance. Several MVPA-based randomised controlled trials in the young population have been unsuccessful in lowering blood pressure. We noted an MVPA-induced increase in muscle mass enhanced a physiologic increase in blood pressure explaining why earlier MVPA-based randomised clinical trials were unsuccessful,” says Agbaje.

Source: University of Eastern Finland

Categories : Cardiovascular Disease ExerciseTags :

High Cholesterol from Childhood Sedentary Time could be Reversed with Light Exercise

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Photo by Victoria Akvarel on Pexels

Increased sedentary time in childhood can raise cholesterol levels by two thirds as an adult, but a new study has found light physical activity may completely reverse the risks and is far more effective than moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

The study was published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Researchers used data from the University of Bristol study Children of the 90s (also known as the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children), which included 792 children aged 11 years who were followed up until the age of 24.

Results from this study found that accumulated sedentary time from childhood can increase cholesterol levels by two thirds (67%) by the time someone reaches their mid-twenties. Elevated cholesterol and dyslipidaemia from childhood and adolescence have been associated with premature death in the mid-forties and heart problems such as subclinical atherosclerosis and cardiac damage in the mid-twenties.

Healthy lifestyles are considered important in the prevention of dyslipidaemia and one of the primary ways of lowering cholesterol, apart from diet, is movement behaviour. For the first time, this study objectively examined the long-term effects of sedentary time, light physical activity, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on childhood cholesterol levels.

The World Health Organization currently recommends children and adolescents should accumulate on average 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity a day and reduce sedentary time but have limited guidelines for light physical activity. Yet this new study and other recent studies has found light physical activity – which includes exercises such as long walks, house chores, or slow dancing, swimming, or cycling – is up to five times more effective than moderate-to-vigorous physical activity at promoting healthy hearts and lowering inflammation in the young population.

Dr Andrew Agbaje from the University of Exeter led the study and said: “These findings emphasise the incredible health importance of light physical activity and shows it could be the key to preventing elevated cholesterol and dyslipidaemia from early life. We have evidence that light physical activity is considerably more effective than moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in this regard, and therefore it’s perhaps time the World Health Organization updated their guidelines on childhood exercise — and public health experts, paediatricians, and health policymakers encouraged more participation in light physical activity from childhood.”

During the research, accelerometer measures of sedentary time, light physical activity, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity were collected at ages 11, 15, and 24 years. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride, and total cholesterol were repeatedly measured at ages 15, 17, and 24 years. These children also had repeated measurement of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry assessment of total body fat mass and muscle mass, as well as fasting blood glucose, insulin, and high sensitivity C-reactive protein, with smoking status, socio-economic status, and family history of cardiovascular disease.

During the 13-year follow-up, sedentary time increased from approximately six hours a day to nine hours a day. Light physical activity decreased from six hours a day to three hours a day while moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was relatively stable at around 50 minutes a day from childhood until young adulthood. The average increase in total cholesterol was 0.69 mmol/L. It was observed without any influence from body fat.

An average of four-and-a-half hours a day of light physical activity from childhood through young adulthood causally decreased total cholesterol by (-0.53 mmol/L), however, body fat mass could reduce the effect of light physical activity on total cholesterol by up to 6%. Approximately 50 minutes a day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity from childhood was also associated with slightly reduced total cholesterol (-0.05 mmol/L), but total body fat mass decreased the effect of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on total cholesterol by up to 48%. Importantly, the increase in fat mass neutralised the small effect of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on total cholesterol.

Source: University of Exeter

Categories : Cardiovascular Disease ExerciseTags :

Cutting Down on Sedentary Time Reduces Cardiovascular Risk

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Feet in sports shoes
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Cutting down daily sedentary time can have a positive effect on the risk factors of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes in as little as three months, according to a study published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. The study findings suggest that simply one hour less sitting daily and increasing light physical activity can help in the prevention of these diseases.

Regular exercise is well known to be beneficial in weight management and prevention of chronic diseases. However, many adults do not meet the weekly recommendation of 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity exercise, and the majority of the day is typically spent sitting.

In an intervention study, researchers investigated whether health benefits can be achieved by reducing daily sedentary time during a three-month intervention period. The research participants were sedentary and physically inactive working-age adults with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

The researchers compared two groups: the intervention group was guided to reduce their sitting time by one hour per day by increasing standing and light-intensity physical activity, while the control group was instructed to maintain their usual habits and sedentary lifestyle.

“What makes our research design unique is that sedentary time and physical activity of both groups were measured with accelerometers throughout the entire three-month period, whereas in earlier studies activity has typically been measured only for a few days at the beginning and end of the study period. This makes it possible to receive more information on the actual behaviour changes over a longer time period,” explained  Doctoral Candidate Taru Garthwaite from the University of Turku in Finland.

The intervention group reduced sedentary time by 50 minutes per day on average, mainly by increasing the amount of light- and moderate-intensity physical activity. Over the three-month period, the researchers observed benefits in health outcomes related to blood sugar regulation, insulin sensitivity and liver health in the intervention group.

“It is an encouraging thought that health benefits can be achieved by reducing the time spent sitting and increasing the amount of even light-intensity physical activity. For many, this may be an easier starting point than increasing actual exercise,” said Garthwaite.

People who do not meet the weekly physical activity recommendations atre the most likely to benefit the most from replacing sedentary time with light physical activity. However, reducing sedentary time is probably not enough in itself to prevent diseases if the person has several risk factors of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Garthwaite stressed the encouraging nature of the findings: “Reducing the time spent sitting might still slow down the development of these diseases, but greater benefits can of course be gained by increasing the amount or intensity of physical activity in addition to sitting less.”

The researchers next aim to study how changes in daily activity and sedentary time affect energy metabolism and body composition in addition to the risk factors of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases over a six-month study period.

Source: University of Turku