Sitting may lead to an early grave

true orfalse?

Adults who are inactive much of the day may be more likely to die prematurely than people who don’t sit around a lot, regardless of their exercise habits, a US study suggests.

People may also be less likely to die young if they break up sedentary time by moving around every half hour than if they remain seated for longer stretches of time without getting up, the study also suggests.

“We think these findings suggest that it is simply not enough to be active or move at just one specific time of the day, that is, exercise,” said lead study author Keith Diaz of the Center for Behavioural Cardiovascular Health at Columbia University Medical Centre in New York. “We need to be mindful of moving frequently throughout the day in addition to exercising,” Diaz said.

For the current study, researchers examined data on 7,985 adults, age 45 and older, who were asked to wear accelerometers to measure activity levels for one week. During the study, 340 people died after an average follow-up of four years.

“It’s possible that prolonged sedentary stretches might hasten death by causing what’s known as metabolic toxicity,” said Dr David Alter, head of cardiovascular and metabolic research for the University Health Network-Toronto Rehabilitation Institute in Canada. “Over time, our body accumulates excess fat, which causes obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and death.”