"The human body was designed to move, not sit for extended periods of time," said Professor Dunstan. "But technological, social and economic changes mean that people don't move their muscles as much as they used to.
"For many people, on a daily basis they simply shift from one chair to another - from the car to the chair in the office to the chair on front of the television."
Dr Dunstan and his colleagues tracked 8,800 men and women aged 25 and over, over a period of six and a half years. The group, which did not include people already at risk of premature death from pre-existing cardiovascular disease, were tested for glucose tolerance and provided blood samples so researchers could measure biomarkers such as cholesterol and blood sugar levels. They were divided into three groups; those who watched fewer than two hours of television a day, those who watched two to four hours, and those who watched four or more hours a day.
During the follow up there were 284 deaths, 125 of which were from cancer and 87 from heart disease.
The researches found that, compared with people who watched less than two hours of television daily, those who watched more than four hours a day had a 46 percent higher risk of death from all causes and an 80 percent increased risk for CVD-related death.
"It could be a consequence of reduced energy expenditure over long periods," said Dr Dunstan. "The calories burnt while sitting is about the same as those burnt during sleep.
"Irrespective of how much exercise you do, if you are sitting still for four hours you have a greater risk of death.
"In addition to doing regular exercise, people should avoid sitting for prolonged periods move more, more often. Too much sitting is bad for your health."
Article
January 12, 2010
January 9, 2010
French words of wisdom
“Always go too far, because that's where you'll find the truth.”
- Albert Camus
“It is only in our decisions that we are important. Man is not the sum of what he has already, but rather the sum of what he does not yet have, of what he could have. ”
- Jean-Paul Sartre
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