<p>If you are working long hours at the desk, do make it a point to take a five minute walk every hour to reverse negative effects of prolonged sitting, says an Indian-origin researcher.<br /><br /></p>.<p>"We found that easy five minute walks can reverse harm caused to leg arteries during hours of prolonged sitting," claimed Saurabh Thosar, a post-doctoral researcher from the Oregon Health and Science University.<br /><br />When people sit, slack muscles do not contract to effectively pump blood to the heart.<br /><br />Blood can pool in the legs and affect the endothelial function of arteries or the ability of blood vessels to expand from increased blood flow.<br /><br />"We have shown that prolonged sitting impairs endothelial function, which is an early marker of cardio-vascular disease and that breaking sitting time prevents the decline in that function," added Thosar, who led the study as a doctoral candidate from Indiana University's school of public health.<br /><br />The study involved 11 non-obese, healthy men between ages 20-35.<br />In one trial, they sat for three hours without moving their legs.<br /><br />In the second trial, the men sat during a three-hour period but also walked on a treadmill for five minutes at a speed of two mph at the half hour, 1.5 and 2.5 hour marks respectively.<br /><br />Researchers demonstrated that during a three-hour period, the flow mediated dilation, or the expansion of the arteries as a result of increased blood flow, of the main artery in the legs was impaired by as much as 50 percent after just one hour.<br />The participants who walked for five minutes each hour of sitting saw their arterial function stay the same - it did not drop throughout the three-hour period.<br /><br />"Normally, a working adult sits for approximately eight hours a day. The impairment in endothelial function is significant after just one hour of sitting. It is interesting to see that light physical activity can help in preventing this impairment," Thosar concluded.</p>
<p>If you are working long hours at the desk, do make it a point to take a five minute walk every hour to reverse negative effects of prolonged sitting, says an Indian-origin researcher.<br /><br /></p>.<p>"We found that easy five minute walks can reverse harm caused to leg arteries during hours of prolonged sitting," claimed Saurabh Thosar, a post-doctoral researcher from the Oregon Health and Science University.<br /><br />When people sit, slack muscles do not contract to effectively pump blood to the heart.<br /><br />Blood can pool in the legs and affect the endothelial function of arteries or the ability of blood vessels to expand from increased blood flow.<br /><br />"We have shown that prolonged sitting impairs endothelial function, which is an early marker of cardio-vascular disease and that breaking sitting time prevents the decline in that function," added Thosar, who led the study as a doctoral candidate from Indiana University's school of public health.<br /><br />The study involved 11 non-obese, healthy men between ages 20-35.<br />In one trial, they sat for three hours without moving their legs.<br /><br />In the second trial, the men sat during a three-hour period but also walked on a treadmill for five minutes at a speed of two mph at the half hour, 1.5 and 2.5 hour marks respectively.<br /><br />Researchers demonstrated that during a three-hour period, the flow mediated dilation, or the expansion of the arteries as a result of increased blood flow, of the main artery in the legs was impaired by as much as 50 percent after just one hour.<br />The participants who walked for five minutes each hour of sitting saw their arterial function stay the same - it did not drop throughout the three-hour period.<br /><br />"Normally, a working adult sits for approximately eight hours a day. The impairment in endothelial function is significant after just one hour of sitting. It is interesting to see that light physical activity can help in preventing this impairment," Thosar concluded.</p>