Previously, a number of studies report a link between being sedentary and risks of chronic diseases (see A4M’s “Beware The Chair,” at http://www.worldhealth.net/news/beware-chair/). David Alter, from the University of Toronto (Canada), and colleagues report findings of their meta-analysis, involving studies assessing sedentary behavior in adults on cardiovascular disease and diabetes (14 studies), cancer (14 studies), and all-cause mortality (13 studies). Sitting for prolonged periods raised the risk of cardiovascular disease by 14%, cancer by 13%, and diabetes by 91%. Those who sat for long stretches and got no regular exercise had a 40% higher risk of early death. With regular exercise, the risk was smaller but still significant: about 10%. The study authors warn that: “Prolonged sedentary time was independently associated with deleterious health outcomes regardless of physical activity.”
Link Between Sitting & Disease Reconfirmed
Biswas A, Oh PI, Faulkner GE, Bajaj RR, Silver MA, Mitchell MS, Alter DA. “Sedentary Time and Its Association With Risk for Disease Incidence, Mortality, and Hospitalization in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.” Ann Intern Med. 2015 Jan 20;162(2):123-132.
