While millions of people find themselves behind a desk for most of the day — or sitting when they are lounging around bingeing TV — scientists have a friendly reminder: It’s killing you.
Maybe you want to stand for this news: According to a new study published in JAMA Network Open, people who mostly sit at work have a 16% higher risk of dying from all causes and a whopping 34% chance of dying from cardiovascular disease.
In the cohort study involving 481,688 people over nearly 13 years, these mortality risks were evident “compared with those who predominantly did not sit, even after adjusting for sex, age, education, smoking, drinking, and body mass index.”
However, hope is not lost. The researchers explained, “Individuals who predominantly sit at work would need to engage in an additional 15 to 30 minutes of physical activity per day to mitigate this increased risk and reach the same level of risk as individuals who predominantly do not sit at work.”
They concluded, “The serious risks associated with prolonged occupational sitting can be mitigated by incorporating regular breaks and engaging in additional physical activity.”
“Systemic changes, such as more frequent breaks, standing desks, designated workplace areas for physical activity, and gym membership benefits, can help reduce risk,” the researchers added.