New Straits Times

Monday, 27/06/2011

Stand to help save your life

London: If you're reading this sitting down, then stand up. It could save your life.

Women who sat for more than six hours daily were around 40 per cent more likely to die than those who sat for less than three hours a day, a study said.

The figure was about 20 per cent for men, according to American Cancer Society researchers who looked at 123,000 people's health over 14 years.

Extended periods of sitting increased risks of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression and obesity, the study said.

People who had a desk-bound job had almost twice the risk of developing a type of colon cancer, reported CNN. And sitting for long periods of time could do significant damage to your health that could not be reversed by exercising, the study said.

This revelation in the American Journal of Epidemiology puts sitting down for extended periods in the same bracket as smoking.

Some workplaces were trying to combat the health problems of sitting down by installing low-speed treadmill desks, reported CNN. – DM

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