There’s no doubt that a lot of people prefer a desk job in a nice office, and with good pay of course. However, such a job also makes you be seated in one place for a longer duration. And several studies now seem to suggest that sitting for long periods can lead to several health concerns.
Physical inactivity has been linked with an increased risk of diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease, and some studies have even linked a sedentary lifestyle to cancer.
To assess the relationship between TV viewing time, recreational sitting time, occupational sitting time, and total sitting time with the risk of various cancers, the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, University of Regensburg, Germany, conducted a meta-analysis of several studies. When the highest levels of sedentary behaviour were compared to the lowest, the researchers found a statistically significantly higher risk for three types of cancer – colon, endometrial, and lung.
Moreover, the risk of developing health problems rise with increases in sitting time. The effect also seemed to be independent of physical activity, suggesting that large amounts of time spent sitting can still be detrimental to those who are otherwise physically active.
TV viewing time showed the strongest relationship with health problems because TV watching is often associated with drinking sweetened beverages, and eating junk foods.
So, sitting for too long at one place is not recommended and most experts suggest that you get up from your desk at least once in an hour.
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