Sitting Disease

What is Sitting Disease?

A term used by the scientific community to describe the adverse effects of an overly sedentary lifestyle. Current research has linked sitting for lengthy periods of time with several health concerns. Issues include obesity, high blood pressure (hypertension), high blood-sugar and excess body fat around the mid-section.

Taken together, these health issues constitute what is known as Metabolic Syndrome. In addition, too much sitting overall, as well as sitting for separate, but lengthy periods of time has also been linked to increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.

What Causes Sitting Disease?

Sitting for extended periods of time, for example; at a desk in an office or school setting, operating equipment that requires a seated position (example a crane or sewing machine), in a vehicle, or even at home on the couch can prove harmful. In fact, the results of several studies suggest that sitting for up to 8 hours a day with little or no exercise, increases the risk of death similar to that posed by obesity or smoking.

Consider the ‘typical’ daily workday-routine for persons living in ‘developed’/First-World countries. A total of approximately two hours for meals, an average of at least one hour spent sitting in a car or on public transportation while commuting to and from work, 6–8 hours spent sitting in an office or other work environment, 3–5 leisure hours watching television or a computer screen and about 6–8 hours sleeping. That can total up to 23 out of 24 hours being spent in sedentary positions with very little physical activity or movement.

In one very large-scale study, The American Journal of Epidemiology conducted research investigating the correlation between sitting and the physical health of individuals. Some 53,000 men and over 69,000 women were surveyed about the time they spent sitting or engaging in physical activity. All participants were healthy and disease-free at the beginning of the study. The researchers tracked the group of participants for a decade-and-a-half. During that time, the researchers reported over 11,000 deaths in the male participants and nearly 8,000 deaths in the females. Women who had reported sitting for more than 6 hours per day (as opposed to those who sat for less than 3 hours), had approximately 40% higher mortality rate from all-causes while had the male group had a 20% higher rate of mortality.

Interestingly, some results suggested that an hour or more of moderate to intense daily exercise could somewhat counter the effects of too much sitting. However, it should be noted that some studies also claim that being active for brief periods throughout the entire day is more helpful than exercising rigorously for an hour and then being sedentary. Overall, it seems that less sitting and more physical activity/movement contributes to better health.

It is believed that specific enzymes (Lipoprotein Lipase Enzymes) located in blood vessels are responsible for metabolizing carbohydrates and fats out of the blood stream. Theories seem to suggest that physical movement acts to stimulate the enzymatic activity of the Lipoprotein Lipase enzymes. When functioning correctly, they regulate blood sugar and improve cholesterol levels. After an hour or more of sitting, these enzymes can become inactive and cease carrying out their metabolic functions. Low enzymatic activity thus contributes to the development of the group of health issues associated with Metabolic Syndrome.

What Can be Done?

Movement and physical activity can have far-reaching positive effects. Consider simple changes to daily routines, especially in traditional workspaces:

· Walk more. Park farther away and walk to your destination. Integrate walking into your routine; take a 15 minute walk as part of your lunch break.

· Take the stairs. Instead of escalators or elevators. Just two flights of stairs can burn 6 pounds worth of calories in one year.

· Stand while using the telephone. Take telephone calls while standing and pacing. This turns an otherwise sedentary activity into a gentle form of exercise.

· Use Standing-Desks. Expert standing desk researcher James Levine of the Mayo Clinic, undertook a study of office workers. He had them all add 1,000 calories to their daily diet without altering any of their exercise or movement habits. Workers who spent more time standing and walking around the office did not experience weight gains as compared to their peers who spent more time sitting.