Researchers from the University of Missouri and the University of Mississippi have found that sitting for a long period of time causes vascular dysfunction. Jaume Padilla, Ph.D., an assistant professor of nutrition and exercise physiology at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, and colleagues compared the vascular function of 11 healthy young men before and after a period of prolonged sitting. Results showed that blood flow in the popliteal artery – an artery in the lower leg – was greatly reduced after sitting for 6 hours. However, the researchers also found that just 10 minutes of self-paced walking was enough to restore the impaired vascular function and improve blood flow. “It’s easy for all of us to be consumed by work and lose track of time, subjecting ourselves to prolonged periods of inactivity,” said Dr Padilla. “However, our study found that when you sit for six straight hours, or the majority of an eight-hour work day, blood flow to your legs is greatly reduced. We also found that just 10 minutes of walking after sitting for an extended time reversed the detrimental consequences.”
