A new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine has indicated that long periods of sitting still can lead to the build up of substances in the blood that are harmful to health, which can’t be got rid of by exercise.
Whilst the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle are already well documented, traditionally it was thought that the ill effects can in part be counteracted by regular physical activity.
The scientists from the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm have said that this is not enough, and that in addition to regular exercise, people need to keep moving, making the effort to move about for five minutes in every 45 minutes.
One of their studies compared two groups of sedentary office workers, one group took regular breaks to move about and the other group remained sitting for eight hours a day. The group that had regular breaks had better blood lipid levels, blood glucose and less obesity.
The scientists say that lack of whole body muscular movement is strongly associated with obesity, heart disease, cancer and diabetes and an overall higher risk of death, regardless of whether physical activity is regularly taken.
The scientists advise based on present evidence, keeping moving should be added to the present advice to take regular physical activity.