It’s easy to burrow into your desk chair and stay put without budging, but mounting evidence suggests that sitting for extended periods of time — like all day, for example — can have negative effects on our bodies and minds. A Scientific American article, published in 2014, laid it out with no holds barred: “sitters have a 50 percent greater likelihood of dying.”
Below, findings from five other studies that will convince you to stand up.
· Studies have linked the duration of sitting to heart health: researchers at Kaiser Permanente found that men who sat the most were twice as likely to suffer from heart failure than those who sat the least. And according to that Scientific American piece, sitting for more than half the day doubles the risk of developing cardiovascular problems.
· Research published last year in Diabetologia found a link between time spent sitting and risk of Type 2 diabetes — for every extra hour spent sitting, the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes may increase by 22 percent.
· Research from the Journal of the National Cancer Institute suggests those who sit all day have up to a 66% higher risk of developing certain cancers, such as colon, endometrial and lung cancer.
· The association between time spent sitting and risk of obesity has been studied extensively — and this Centers for Disease Control study suggests that men who sat for long periods of time were more likely to be obese than women who sat for the same duration.
· Alternating sitting and standing throughout the day may actually help you lose weight. A new study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that overweight men who stood for 15-minute intervals burned 10.7 percent more calories than those who remained seated all day, and men who alternated sitting and standing every 90 seconds burned 20.4 percent more calories than their sedentary counterparts, a calorie expenditure that could translate to 4.9 pounds lost over four weeks.