How Sitting for Long Periods May Be Damaging Your Heart
We have long known the benefits of exercise for good health. But studies by the University of California has collected data that provides with a greater field of data concerning the effects of immobility on the heart.
“Outcomes of sitting for long periods have ranged from high mortality, reduced brain function and mental illness, and even cancer,” says Bryan Davies, an author at BoomEssays and UK Writings.
The studies, published in Circulation magazine, have shown that it can also lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Critically, this includes those who sit for long hours as part of their job — specifically office workers.
Studies by University of California
A study published in 2017 drew data from a larger, ongoing program conducted by the Dallas Heart Study, which has examined a cross-section of the population of ethnically diverse men and women. In the program, this cross-section undertook a comprehensive range of testing, including cardiac testing, blood sampling, and preexisting health information. Along with these tests, the University of California took a lot of their data from the activity trackers that participants wore for a week.
Excluding any participants that had preexisting heart conditions such as heart disease or persistent chest pain, the University of California compared the activity information from 1700 of those involved in the study.
In addition, another study was published this year, which drew from similar research methods, tracking the activity of over 5000 racially diverse women aged between 63 and 97. They had tracked these women over a period of five years, taking into account those who had suffered from heart problems or death from heart disease.
In both cases, they discovered that those who spent long hours sat down had an increased likelihood of heart disease. The authors of the latter study concluded that for each additional hour of time spent immobile was, on average, associated with a 12% increase in cardiovascular disease.
Troponins
In the earlier study, they specifically looked at the levels of troponins within the blood samples. Troponins are proteins which protect the cardiac muscle cells when they have been damaged, and are released in great numbers when someone suffers a heart attack.
High levels of troponin are known to be a warning sign that the heart is damaged in some way. Previous to the study in 2017, no research had been conducted into the correlation between sitting for long periods and elevated levels of troponins. The study concluded that those who moved more had lower levels of troponins.
In contrast, those who sat for 10 hours or more had higher levels of troponins. Researchers factored in other elements of the participant’s life, including age, gender, and BMI, and found that the relationship remained consistently strong.
Exercise
The study published this year also looked at the role that exercise had in combatting the risk of heart problems. For those who work out after a day of sitting in front of a desk, the results may be disappointing.
The 2019 study found that exercise does not fully diminish the risk of heart disease after long bouts of sitting. Researchers found that regardless of overall health or lifestyle, immobility for long periods continue to pose a risk to good heart health.
Movement Breaks
So where does that leave us if we do work sitting down?
An important factor in the study is not that sitting down itself can lead to CVD, but that sitting down for long periods can be detrimental. This suggests that frequent movement may help in combatting the issues brought on by immobility.
“Many companies suggest regular breaks between tasks, and these studies have backed up the importance of these breaks,” writes Marla Thomas, a regular contributor to EssayRoo and Paper Fellows. ”Building a healthy regime of mobile breaks to break up periods of sitting may be key to not only lower stress and obesity, but also good heart health.”
Chloe Bennet is content marketing specialist at Assignment Help and Academized.com. As well as regular blogger, she is an entrepreneur who enjoys writing about literature and tech. Also, Chloe teaches business writing at OXEssays website.
