An Australian study shows that standing or walking for at least two hours a day reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Simple actions to fight against a sedentary lifestyle.
Standing or walking for a few minutes a day instead of sitting for hours would help lead to a longer and healthier life. This is the conclusion of a australian study published in the European Heart Journal. This shows that to reduce the risks associated with a sedentary lifestyle, especially cardiovascular, standing is a good start.
To carry out their work, researchers at the University of Queensland followed nearly 700 healthy men and women with diabetes and / or obesity. For several days, these participants wore a monitor that counted their steps and recorded their activity level and the time they were inactive. Scientists also collected blood samples to measure the level of plasma glucose, triglycerides (lipids, editor’s note) and bad cholesterol.
Promote alternatives to a sedentary lifestyle
“This study shows that replacing the sitting position by the standing position decreases fasting blood sugar, triglyceride levels and bad cholesterol”, reports Prof. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic (Minessota, United States) in an editorial accompanying the study. The latter also shows that walking 2 hours a day reduces all these biological markers of cardiovascular disease. Walking is also strongly associated with reduced body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference. Indeed, the results of the study show a difference of about 7 cm between a person who walks and a person preferring to remain seated. In addition, glucose and triglyceride levels were 11% and 14% lower, respectively, in an active person. “More importantly, replacing standing by walking promotes better weight regulation, but does not necessarily improve bad cholesterol levels,” says the specialist.
Numerous studies have shown that a sedentary lifestyle, a disease of our current society, is the bedrock of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, obesity and several cancers. To cope, physical activity and regular exercise seem inevitable. But for Professor Lopez-Jimenez and the authors of this work, the important thing is to promote alternatives to a sedentary lifestyle such as standing and walking. In his editorial, the specialist evokes the track of treadmills at work or adaptable desks for working standing. Enough to wake up the millions of Europeans who say they stay seated between 3 and 7 hours a day.
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