A sedentary lifestyle is a heart killer
Almost any physical activity throughout the day has shown to be better and more beneficial for heart and cardiovascular health than prolonged sitting, according to a recent study conducted by an international team of scientists.
Far from suggesting that everyone should swap their office chairs for comfy recliners, the researchers aimed to highlight how even small daily changes in physical activity significantly improve our heart and cardiovascular system’s health.
Prolonged sitting emerged as the most harmful for cardiovascular health, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, cholesterol levels, and glycated hemoglobin (GHB), a marker for type 2 diabetes.
Even sleep beats sitting
Results indicate that even sleep, or rather, good and quality sleep, is better and more beneficial for our health than sitting for long hours watching a new Netflix thriller.
The latest evidence supports what was already known – a sedentary lifestyle is a ‘killer’ for our heart and health. It emphasizes that just a few minutes of physical activity daily contribute to reducing the risk of developing heart disease and stroke, lowering cholesterol levels, and aiding in maintaining a healthy body weight.
“Our study’s ultimate conclusion is that, no matter how small the changes in your movement patterns, they have a positive impact on heart health, and ultimately, the intensity of movement matters,” said Jo Blodgett, the study’s lead epidemiologist from the University College London.
Replacing sitting with physical activity for even a few minutes
The most beneficial scenario was when participants replaced sitting with moderate to vigorous physical activity, such as running, brisk walking, or climbing stairs, or any activity that increased heart rate and made them breathe faster, even for a minute or two, Blodgett stated.
Published in the European Heart Journal, the study showed health benefits when “just 4 to 12 minutes a day of sedentary lifestyles are replaced with an equal amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity.” Of course, more is recommended.
Blood sugar levels also decreased when participants spent more time exercising, standing, or sleeping compared to sitting.
As examples of moderate physical activity, the authors mentioned brisk walking (6 km/h or faster), intense household cleaning like window washing, cycling, or playing badminton. Simply swapping a work desk for a standing desk for a few hours a day can benefit the cardiovascular system.
Heart and stroke claim nearly 18 million lives annually
Researchers reminded that heart and cardiovascular diseases are the number one killers worldwide. Every year, heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular diseases claim nearly 18 million lives. While some people have genetic predispositions to heart and cardiovascular diseases, the modern lifestyle universally does no favors for our hearts. Physical inactivity, poor diet, smoking, and alcohol consumption are significant risk factors.
A healthy diet, quitting smoking, and limiting alcohol intake in the evening are good starts for a healthier body, but most people struggle to avoid long commutes to the office and mentally demanding jobs where they spend most of the day in a seated position.
Results from six studies involving 15,253 participants
To better understand the relationship between different types of movement, researchers combined data from six studies involving more than 15,000 participants, giving them insight into the different impacts of sedentary living, standing, light and moderate to vigorous physical activities, and sleep on heart health. All participants wore activity-measuring gadgets 24/7 during the study.
Results highlighted that moderate to vigorous exercise was most beneficial, followed by light physical activity, and then sleep or standing.
The study also found that substituting 30 minutes of sitting with 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity had the most significant effect on people with lower body mass.
Improving this statistic doesn’t require significant changes. Calculations showed that a 54-year-old woman with an average BMI of 26.5, who substitutes 30 minutes of sitting with moderate or intense exercise, can average a 2.7% reduction in BMI.
If those 30 minutes are used for a brisk walk that raises the pulse, the waist circumference could decrease by 2.5 centimeters, and GHB could drop by around 3.6%. Replacing some time spent sleeping, standing, or sitting with light to moderately intense physical activity positively impacts our cardiovascular system.
If our choices are limited to sitting on the couch to watch another gripping crime episode on Netflix or having a good night’s sleep, prioritizing bedtime should prevail.
In an ideal world, we’d gladly trade long and exhaustive work meetings for lengthy walks, swimming, cycling, and then going home for a good night’s sleep. However, even in an imperfect world, we can decide to walk part of the way home, take the stairs, and sometimes turn off the lights a bit earlier in the evening to extend our heart’s life.
