Brits spend around nine hours a day sitting, but Norwegian researchers have found that 25 minutes of physical activity could reduce the risk of death associated with a sedentary lifestyle. did.
March marks the fourth anniversary of the coronavirus lockdown, but nearly 30% of Brits are still working remotely, which means a sedentary lifestyle for many.
This refers to a daily routine that involves little or no physical movement or exercise, which the NHS warns can increase the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cancer and early death. Health groups explain that lack of exercise is thought to slow down your metabolism, which affects your body’s ability to regulate blood sugar and blood pressure and break down body fat.
Adults spend about nine hours a day sitting, whether it’s working at a desk, watching TV, or traveling. Fortunately, recent research shows that doing just 25 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) each day may reduce the increased risk of death associated with a sedentary lifestyle. It is suggested that there is.
The study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, investigated whether exercise could influence the relationship between sedentary time and mortality. As part of the study, scientists aggregated personal data from four groups equipped with activity trackers.
They looked at data from about 12,000 individuals over the age of 50. Each person has 10 hours of daily activity tracker records stored for a minimum of 4 days. Participants were observed for a minimum of 2 years and studied for potentially influencing factors such as gender, education level, weight, height, smoking history, alcohol intake, current/past cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes status. I got some insight.
In the total sample, approximately 5,950 people spend less than 10.5 hours sitting each day, and 6,042 people spend more than 10.5 hours sitting. Data from death registries show that 805 people (7%) died over an average of 5 years.
Of these, 357 (6%) spent less than 10.5 hours sitting each day, while 448 spent more than 10.5 hours sitting each day. The results showed that being inactive for more than 12 hours a day was associated with a 38 percent increased risk of death compared to those who spent eight hours a day sitting.
The scientists noted that this trend was especially observed among participants who reported less than 22 minutes of daily MVPA. This study suggests that participating in more than 22 minutes of physical activity each day is associated with a lower risk of death.
Furthermore, higher amounts of MVPA were associated with further reductions in risk, regardless of daily sitting time. Therefore, we found that adding 10 minutes of activity each day lowered the risk of death by 15 percent for those who spent less than 10.5 hours sedentary.
For those who spent more than 10.5 hours sitting each day, this increased training time led to a significant 35% reduction in risk. It is important to note that this observational study could not identify a direct causal relationship.
The researchers concluded that “low doses of MVPA may be an effective strategy to ameliorate the mortality risk from prolonged sitting, and accumulating MVPA for more than 22 minutes can eliminate the risk of prolonged sitting.” “Efforts to promote activity can have substantial health benefits.” Benefits for the individual. ”
