Have You Heard? Sitting Is the New Smoking
According to The Huffington Post, “Sitting is more dangerous than smoking, kills more people than HIV and is more treacherous than parachuting. We are sitting ourselves to death.” Thus, it is no wonder that the title mantra, “sitting is the new smoking,” is catching on as new evidence reveals just how dangerous our sedentary lifestyles are.
Even if a person is considered “physically active”…they still may be spending up to 15 hours a day sitting.
Prolonged sitting, what the journal Current Cardiovascular Risk Reports is referring to as “inactive physiology,” is proving to be dangerous because it is how many Americans are spending almost their entire day. Even if a person is considered “physically active” and meeting the suggested hour of exercise a day, they still may be spending up to 15 hours a day sitting, whether it is at work, driving, or in social settings. This “background” time, what people are doing when they are not exercising, is what is so detrimental to our health. According to a study from the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, for each two-hour period of sitting, a person’s risk for colon, endometrial and lung cancer increases. An American Journal of Epidemiology study reveals that people who sit more than six hours a day die earlier than people who sit three hours a day or less, and a Diabetologia article shows that people who sit more can be up to two times as likely to develop Type 2 Diabetes than those who sit less. Additionally, a Journal of Physiology study reveals that sitting causes a decrease in lipoprotein lipase production, an enzyme that breaks down fat and converts it into energy, thus storing the fat instead. Furthermore, extensive sitting also causes severe muscle stiffness, which can lead to difficulties running, walking, jumping and standing later in life.
Taking time to notice one’s posture, getting up to stretch or taking a walk around the office to break up every hour spent sitting are good ways to start.
Clearly, prolonged sitting has revealed itself to have severe consequences. On the bright side, these consequences can likely be avoided with some simple lifestyle changes. It is improbable that everyone will be able to drastically reduce time spent sitting, and it may be especially difficult for students and desk-job employees. However, even slight modifications can help. Taking time to notice one’s posture, getting up to stretch or taking a walk around the office to break up every hour spent sitting are good ways to start. Standing desks are ideal for people who currently spend most of their time at work sitting, but doing even some of one’s work while standing instead of sitting is beneficial too. It may be surprising to find that sitting, an incredibly common lifestyle habit, is so unhealthy. Now, as Current Cardiovascular Risk Reports puts it, it is time to “be aware… sit less and stand more!”
