Sitting Raises Risk of Death

Increasing obesity levels in the United States are widely predicted to have major public health consequences, with a growing epidemic of overweight and obesity resulting in reduced overall physical activity. Previous studies have suggested a link between sitting time and obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease risk factors, and unhealthy dietary patterns in children and adults.  Alpa V. Patel, from the American Cancer Society (Georgia, USA), and colleagues explored the causal association between sitting time and mortality. The team analyzed survey responses from 53,440 men and 69,776 women who had no history of cancer, heart attack, stroke, or emphysema/other lung disease enrolled in the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Prevention II study, specifically examining examined the amount of time spent sitting and physical activity in relation to mortality for a 13-year follow-up period.  The researchers found that more leisure time spent sitting was associated with higher risk of mortality, particularly in women. Women who reported more than six hours per day of sitting were 37% more likely to die during the time period studied than those who sat fewer than 3 hours a day. Men who sat more than 6 hours a day were 18% more likely to die , as compared to men who sat fewer than 3 hours per day. When combined with a lack of physical activity, the association was even stronger. Women and men who both sat more and were less physically were 94% and 48% more likely, respectively, to die compared with those who reported sitting the least and being most active. Noting that: “Associations were strongest for cardiovascular disease mortality,” the researchers urge that: “Public health messages should include both being physically active and reducing time spent sitting.”