The sedentary lifestyle is marked by prolonged periods of sitting, whether it’s lolling around in front of the television or being glued to a computer screen at work. A new study reveals that the sedentary lifestyle carries health risks that go beyond the mere fact that when you are sitting you are not taking exercise. The muscular inactivity that goes with the sedentary lifestyle is linked to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and an overall higher mortality, say researchers at the Karolinska Institute, Sweden. It is possible to quantify the risk – for each additional hour a woman sits in front of the television, her risk of metabolic syndrome goes up by 26% and this is independent of whether or not she takes exercise at other times. The researchers say we should take sedentary lifestyle to mean muscular inactivity rather than lack of exercise – a subtle difference, perhaps, but an important one.

The new study finds that those who combine prolonged periods of sitting with little exercise are even more at risk. It is not clear why the sedentary lifestyle is bad for health but the researchers believe an enzyme called lipoprotein lipase may play a role, by controlling lipid profile. The activity of this enzyme is greatly decreased during muscular inactivity. They believe that just taking a bit more exercise probably isn’t enough to neutralize the risk of the sedentary lifestyle. It is better to counter it by taking, say, five minute breaks every hour if you are sitting, or being sure to take the stairs instead of the elevator where you can.

Source:

Ekblom-Bak E et al Are we facing a new paradigm of inactivity physiology? British Journal of Sports Medicine Online First January 2010;dpi 10.1136/bjsm.2009.067702