If women spend a lot of time during the day doing sedentary activities, this is associated with a significantly increased risk of premature death. It doesn’t matter how physically active the women otherwise are, the increased risk of premature death remains.
A new study involving experts at the University of California San Diego examined the connection between sitting time and death from cardiovascular disease and death from all causes. The results are published in the “Journal of the American Heart Association” (JAHA).
Almost 6,500 older women examined
The new study included a total of 6,489 participants aged 63 to 99 who took part in the Objective Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health (OPACH) study.
The participants wore a so-called activity sensor on their hips for about seven days. For the first time, the experts also used a new algorithm (CHAP) to evaluate the data, which was developed with the help of machine learning and can better distinguish between standing and sitting.
The researchers also determined deaths from all causes and deaths from cardiovascular diseases over a period of eight years in order to analyze the total daily sitting time and the length of sitting periods per day in relation to the risk of mortality.
30 percent increased general risk of death
According to the researchers, the data analysis showed that older women who spent at least 11.7 hours or more per day in sedentary activities had a 30 percent increased general risk of death, regardless of how intensively they exercised.
“If I go for a brisk, long walk for an hour but sit for the rest of the day, I still get all the negative effects on my metabolism,” emphasizes study author Dr. Andrea LaCroix in a press release.
Get up regularly every now and then
In addition, the longer you sit continuously, the risk increases. For example, sitting for more than 30 minutes at a time is associated with a higher risk of premature death than sitting for just ten minutes at a time.
This suggests that it is beneficial to occasionally interrupt your sitting time and simply stand up. It’s not even necessary to move.
Overall, the team says, the results show that longer total sitting time and longer average sitting time are associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality and also mortality from cardiovascular disease in older women.
This underscores the urgency of interventions that both reduce overall sitting time and interrupt prolonged sitting.
Adverse effects of sitting
Sitting poses a health risk because, among other things, it reduces muscle contractions, blood circulation and glucose metabolism, according to the researchers.
“When you sit, your body’s blood flow slows and glucose absorption decreases. “Your muscles don’t contract as hard, so anything that requires oxygen consumption to move the muscles decreases, and your heart rate is low,” explains study author Dr. LaCroix.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to reverse these disadvantages through subsequent movement. The study shows that women in particular who spend a lot of time sitting at a time have an increased risk of dying prematurely, regardless of whether they otherwise exercise little or a lot at medium or high intensity. (as)
