<div>Fidgeting while sitting for an extended period of time at a computer or during a long flight can protect the arteries in your legs and potentially help prevent arterial disease, a new study has claimed.<br /><br />Research has shown that sitting for an extended period of time reduces blood flow to the legs, which may contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease.<br /><br />"Many of us sit for hours at a time, whether it is binge watching our favourite TV show or working at a computer," said Jaumme Padilla from University of Missouri in the US.<br /><br />"We wanted to know whether a small amount of leg fidgeting could prevent a decline in leg vascular function caused by prolonged sitting," said Padilla.<br /><br />While researchers expected fidgeting to increase blood flow to the lower limbs, they actually found that this would be sufficient to prevent a decline in arterial function.<br /><br />Researchers compared the leg vascular function of 11 healthy young men and women before and after three hours of sitting.<br /><br />While sitting, participants were asked to fidget one leg intermittently, tapping one foot for one minute and then resting it for four minutes, while the other leg remained still throughout.<br /><br />On average, the participants moved their feet 250 times per minute. Researchers then measured the blood flow of the popliteal - an artery in the lower leg - and found that the fidgeting leg had a significant increase in blood flow, as expected, while the stationary leg experienced a reduction in blood flow.<br /><br />Previous research has shown that increased blood flow and its associated shear stress - the friction of the flowing blood on the artery wall - is an important stimulus for vascular health. However, fidgeting's protective role had not been established.<br /><br />While only one leg was exposed to fidgeting during the experiment, in a real-world scenario researchers recommend tapping both legs to maximise the beneficial effects.<br />However, researchers caution that fidgeting is not a substitute for walking and exercise, which produce more overall cardiovascular benefits.<br /><br />"You should attempt to break up sitting time as much as possible by standing or walking. But if you are stuck in a situation in which walking just is not an option, fidgeting can be a good alternative. Any movement is better than no movement," said Padilla.<br /><br />The findings were published in the American Journal of Physiology Heart and Circulatory Physiology.</div>
<div>Fidgeting while sitting for an extended period of time at a computer or during a long flight can protect the arteries in your legs and potentially help prevent arterial disease, a new study has claimed.<br /><br />Research has shown that sitting for an extended period of time reduces blood flow to the legs, which may contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease.<br /><br />"Many of us sit for hours at a time, whether it is binge watching our favourite TV show or working at a computer," said Jaumme Padilla from University of Missouri in the US.<br /><br />"We wanted to know whether a small amount of leg fidgeting could prevent a decline in leg vascular function caused by prolonged sitting," said Padilla.<br /><br />While researchers expected fidgeting to increase blood flow to the lower limbs, they actually found that this would be sufficient to prevent a decline in arterial function.<br /><br />Researchers compared the leg vascular function of 11 healthy young men and women before and after three hours of sitting.<br /><br />While sitting, participants were asked to fidget one leg intermittently, tapping one foot for one minute and then resting it for four minutes, while the other leg remained still throughout.<br /><br />On average, the participants moved their feet 250 times per minute. Researchers then measured the blood flow of the popliteal - an artery in the lower leg - and found that the fidgeting leg had a significant increase in blood flow, as expected, while the stationary leg experienced a reduction in blood flow.<br /><br />Previous research has shown that increased blood flow and its associated shear stress - the friction of the flowing blood on the artery wall - is an important stimulus for vascular health. However, fidgeting's protective role had not been established.<br /><br />While only one leg was exposed to fidgeting during the experiment, in a real-world scenario researchers recommend tapping both legs to maximise the beneficial effects.<br />However, researchers caution that fidgeting is not a substitute for walking and exercise, which produce more overall cardiovascular benefits.<br /><br />"You should attempt to break up sitting time as much as possible by standing or walking. But if you are stuck in a situation in which walking just is not an option, fidgeting can be a good alternative. Any movement is better than no movement," said Padilla.<br /><br />The findings were published in the American Journal of Physiology Heart and Circulatory Physiology.</div>