Standing 'no healthier than sitting'

Conclusion This cohort study aimed to assess the association between sitting time and overall risk of death in a large sample of UK civil servants with a follow-up period of 16 years. The results showed no association between sitting time and risk of death. The results of this study have relevance for policy makers and employers to promote recommended daily physical activity. While this study reports some interesting findings, the results should be interpreted with some caution because of the study's limitations. The study does have strengths in its large sample size, long duration of follow-up period, and examination of mortality outcomes through a national register. However, as acknowledged by the researchers, this Whitehall study only included white collar employees, mainly based in London, so the results cannot be generalised to all populations.  It is also possible people may not be able to give reliable estimates of their sitting time, and these one-off measures taken at the end of the 90s are not representative of lifelong sedentary and activity patterns. And although the researchers adjusted for some confounding factors, there may be various other health and lifestyle factors that are not considered in the analysis that might have had an influence on the results. But the findings do not suggest you can regularly sit for long periods and get no exercise but still maintain good health. Sitting down on a regular basis may not directly increase your risk of de...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Source Type: news