How To Be More Healthy: Sitting May Lead to Death – Even With Exercise, Claims New Study

Sitting for hours can lead to death, even if you exercise, a new study by researchers from Canada has shown.

Sedentary behavior raises the chances of getting a disease or condition that can kill a person prematurely, the study said as reported by CNN.

"Prolonged sedentary time was independently associated with deleterious health outcomes regardless of physical activity," concluded the study, which was featured in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Researchers from Toronto made the conclusion after evaluating 47 studies of sedentary behavior. They found out that the sitting people usually do in a day still outweighs the benefits given by exercising, after adjusting their data to include the amount someone exercises.

"Another way of saying it is just because one does their 30 to 60 minutes of exercise per day doesn't ensure their health," author Dr. David Alter of the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute-University Health Network and Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences told Reuters in an interview.

"These are two distinct factors, we need both, we need exercise and need to be sitting less," he also said.

The impact of sedentary behavior decreases as people exercise more.

Researchers also found that sedentary behavior can lead to death from cardiovascular issues, cancer, Type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions.

Sitting for eight to 12 hours or more a day increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 90 percent.

Physical inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality, according to the World Health Organization. It causes around 3.2 million deaths around the world.

Authors of the study recommend being aware of how much one sits to be able to make a goal of reducing that number a little each each week.

Using a standing desk at work or standing up or walking for a minute or three once every half an hour have also been suggested.

Walking around or standing during the TV commercials can also help.

The W.H.O., on the other hand, said: "Regular moderate intensity physical activity – such as walking, cycling, or participating in sports – has significant benefits for health. For instance, it can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, colon and breast cancer, and depression."

"Moreover adequate levels of physical activity will decrease the risk of a hip or vertebral fracture and help control weight."