Sitting For Long Periods Linked To Increased Blood Sugar, Cholesterol Levels

Extra two hours a day spent standing rather than sitting lowers the fasting blood sugar level by 2 percent, triglycerides by 11 percent resulting in healthy body mass index.

Being healthier may be found in something as simple as standing more and sitting less at work, said a study Friday.

Replacing sitting time with standing time appeared to improve sugar, fat and cholesterol levels in the blood, researchers wrote in the European Heart Journal.

Exercise can Keep Your Brain Young, Active While You Age
Middle-age runners not only have better cardiovascular function and health, but also have enhanced cognitive performance.

The findings suggest that making small changes to a sedentary lifestyle can have a big impact on health -- and that you don't need to go as far as taking up marathon running.

A study of nearly 800 men and women in Australia revealed a clear association between less sitting and better health markers.

"An extra two hours per day spent standing rather than sitting was associated with approximately two percent lower average fasting blood sugar levels and 11 percent lower average triglycerides (fats in the blood)," said a press statement.

High-Intensity Exercise may Help Ease Symptoms of Arthritis
Arthritis patients who exercised had less inflammation. They also had increase in maximum oxygen intake, meaning they reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease.

It was also associated with higher levels of "good" cholesterol, HDL.

Replacing two hours of sitting time with actual activity in the form of "stepping" was even better -- with lower blood fat and sugar scores as well as an 11 percent lower average Body Mass Index (BMI -- a ratio of height to weight) and a 7.5-centimetre (three-inch) smaller average waist circumference.

Molecule That Mimics Exercise may Help Treat Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes
The molecule makes cells think that they have run out of energy by activating the cell's energy sensor. It causes cells to try and increase their energy levels.

"These findings provide important preliminary evidence on the potential benefits of standing for cardio-metabolic risk biomarkers," said the study.

"This has important public health implications given that standing is a common behaviour."

No Exercise and Unhealthy Lifestyle Increase Risk of Stroke Among Middle-Aged in the UK
The number of hospital admissions for strokes among 40 to 54-year-old men rose from 4,260 in 2000 to 6,221. Among women, it increased from 3,529 to 4,604 in 2014.

The team point to the potential benefits of more standing at the workplace, including through such measures as "standing desks".

Adults in today's world are highly sedentary, with average self-reported sitting time ranging from 3.2 to 6.8 hours per day in Europe, said the study.

About 55 to 69 percent of adult waking hours are sedentary.

But there has been little research into the potential benefits of standing, as opposed to moving, to replace sitting.

The study took blood, height and weight measurements from the participants, gave them an activity monitor for a week, and then compared the health data to how much each person moved... or not.

In an editorial published with the study, Francisco Lopez-Jimenez of the Mayo College of Medicine in Minnesota, said it showed that "the fight against sedentary behaviour cannot be won based only on the promotion of regular exercise."

"A person walking while at work for two hours, standing for another four hours, and performing some daily chores at home for another hour will burn more calories than jogging or running for 60 minutes."

Source-AFP