Is sitting too much dangerous for your health? Yes it is. There are a few health topics on which most doctors and health experts agree — and this is definitely one of them.
An Australian study led by the University of Sydney has found more evidence that sitting too much increases the risk of dying. This was even after taking into account physical activity, weight and health status of study participants. The study of more than 200,000 Australians is published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Relying on self-reported data from 22,497 people 45 years or older from the “45 and Up Study” — the largest look at healthy aging in the Southern Hemisphere — the researchers found that compared to people who spent less than four hours a day sitting:
• Adults who sat 11 or more hours a day had a 40 percent increased risk of dying in the next three years — from any cause.
• Adults who sat eight or more hours a day had a 40 percent increased risk of dying in the next three years — from any cause.