A recent study conducted by the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) has confirmed that prolonged sitting is detrimental to health, even with increased levels of moderate-to-vigorous exercise.
The study, titled “Prospective Associations of Accelerometer-Measured Machine-Learned Sedentary Behavior with Death Among Older Women: The OPACH Study,” revealed that higher total sitting time and longer periods of uninterrupted sitting are linked to elevated risks of all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality among older women.
These findings emphasize the importance of interventions aimed at reducing overall sitting time and breaking up extended periods of sitting.
Another study in 2019 also concluded that despite higher levels of physical activity, the health risks associated with excessive sitting, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, remain prevalent.
The study involved 5,856 female participants aged 63 to 99 years who wore activity monitors on their hips for seven days at the study’s onset. By utilizing artificial intelligence to analyze the data collected from the activity monitors, the researchers established a correlation between prolonged sitting and heightened mortality risk.
Participants who sat for more than 11 hours daily exhibited a 57% higher risk of death compared to those who sat for less than nine and a half hours a day.
The evidence from the UCSD study underscores the importance of reducing sitting time. This aligns with current recommendations from the World Health Organization, advocating for adults to minimize prolonged sitting and incorporate breaks into their sedentary routines.
To further evaluate the impact of reducing sedentary behavior on health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease and mortality among older adults, extensive randomized trials like the WHISH (Women’s Health Initiative Strong and Healthy) trial are imperative, the study said.
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