Sitting for too long increases mortality risk, UC San Diego study says
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A recent study from the University of California, San Diego said spending too much time sitting down could be detrimental to your health.
The study, published in February in the Journal of the American Heart Association, collected data from hip devices worn by more than 6,400 women for one week a year during an eight-year period.
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It included a wide set of participants ranging from white, Black, and Hispanic or Latina women between the ages of 63 and 99.
It found that the women who spent more time sitting had an increased risk of death.
Those who sat for more than 11 hours a day had a 57% higher risk of all-cause death and a 78% higher risk of death linked to cardiovascular disease. According to the study, there were more than 1,700 deaths over a median follow-up of 8.4 years.
The research looked at two main components — how long the people were sitting per day combined with the length of time they sat without getting up.
Sedentary behavior leads to reduced muscle contractions, blood flow and glucose metabolism, and is often linked to cardiovascular disease.
Unfortunately, even vigorous exercise cannot undo the adverse effects of sitting for too long, according to the study’s co-author, Andrea LaCroix, a professor at UCSD’s Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health.
The findings indicated that older women tend to be more sedentary when they are awake; for example, when they are watching TV or using a mobile device, using transportation and sitting at home.
The study was co-authored by Steve Nguyen, John Bellettiere, Blake Anuskiewicz and Loki Natarajan at UC San Diego, as well as Chongzhi Di at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Jordan Carlson at Children’s Mercy Kansas City and Michael J. LaMonte at University at Buffalo.
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