Have a desk job? Walk 11 kilometres a day!

 

Have a desk job? Walk 11 kilometres a day!

 

Research suggests that sitting increases waist circumference and the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases

 

Spending too much time sitting down is bad for your heart, a new study shows. To avoid the risk, people may have to walk at least seven miles a day.

 

The study revealed those who had desk jobs registered a bigger waist circumference -38 inches compared to 37 inches -and approximately one BMI unit difference. They also had a higher risk of cardiovascular disease -2.2% compared to 1.6% over 10 years. The research suggests waist circumference increases by two centimetres, and risk of cardiovascular diseases by 0.2%, for every additional hour of sitting beyond five hours.

 

Dr William Tigbe of Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick, who led the research, said: “Longer time spent in sedentary posture is significantly associated with larger waist circumference, higher triglycerides (fat in the blood) and lower HDL cholesterol, all adding up to increased risk of heart disease. The levels associated with zero risk factors were walking more than 15,000 steps per day, which is equivalent to walking seven to eight miles, or spending seven hours per day upright.“

 

The study involved volunteers from the Royal Mail in Glasgow.Only apparently healthy non smokers, with no personal history of heart attack, stroke, coronary heart disease, hypertension or diabetes were included. Fellow researcher Professor Mike Lean of the University of Glasgow's School of Medicine said: “Our evolution to become the human species did not equip us well to spending all day sitting down. We probably adapted to be healthiest spending seven to eight hours every day on our feet, as hunters or gatherers. Our new research supports that idea. The `bottom' line is that if you want to be sure of having no risks of heart disease, you must keep off your bottom.“

[FunFunky]