Standing Too Much Might Not Be Great for Your Heart, New Study Suggests

This WFH staple ensures you do not spend the vast majority of your day sitting—which we have heard one million occasions can result in circumstances like poor coronary heart well being down the road. Or so we thought.

A new examine¹ printed yesterday in The Worldwide Journal of Epidemiology suggests standing desks do not truly scale back your danger of ailments like stroke and coronary heart failure.

A more in-depth have a look at the brand new examine

The examine included over 80,000 wholesome adults from the UK. For 2 years, contributors wore wrist accelerometers that recorded how a lot time they spent sitting and standing.

When researchers assessed the information and adopted up with them over a six-year interval, they discovered sitting for greater than 10 hours a day was related to an elevated danger of heart problems. Extra shocking? Standing extra (in contrast with sitting) does not scale back the danger of coronary heart circumstances like coronary heart illness, stroke, and coronary heart failure. Moreover, standing extra may truly enhance your danger of varicose veins (enlarged veins) and deep vein thrombosis (a blood clot in your veins).

Standing extra does not scale back the danger of circumstances like coronary heart illness, stroke, and coronary heart failure.

Extra particularly, for each half-hour spent standing past two hours, the danger of those well being points elevated by 11 p.c. (It is price noting that examine contributors did not *particularly* use standing desks to measure the well being impacts of elevated standing.)

There are a few caveats to remember. First, that is an observational examine, which implies it is exhibiting correlation—not causation. In different phrases, it discovered a connection between standing an excessive amount of and an elevated danger of poor coronary heart well being. This doesn’t suggest you are assured to develop a coronary heart situation sooner or later when you stand an excessive amount of.

Moreover, this examine attracts from UK Biobank information. The UK Biobank is a database and analysis useful resource that shops the medical and genetic information of 500,000 UK contributors for analysis similar to this examine. Nevertheless, UK Biobank volunteers haven’t any earlier medical points and are not an correct illustration of the vast majority of individuals, in line with a 2017 American Journal of Epidemiology article².

The underside line

“The important thing takeaway is that standing for too lengthy won’t offset an in any other case sedentary way of life and may very well be dangerous for some individuals when it comes to circulatory well being,” mentioned Matthew Ahmadi, a postdoctoral analysis fellow on the College of Sydney and lead examine writer, in a press launch.

As a substitute of standing for a majority of your day, Ahmadi and his fellow researchers recommend you need to as a substitute schedule common motion all through the day.

“Take common breaks, stroll round, go for a strolling assembly, use the steps, take common breaks when driving lengthy distances, or use that lunch hour to get away from the desk and do some motion,” Ahmadi mentioned.

These are generally known as “train breaks” or “train snacks.” You possibly can even “microdose” health by taking fast stretch breaks, doing brief cardio bursts, busting out just a few squats when you wait on your espresso to brew, and even finishing some family chores (as a result of cleansing the toilet is a severe exercise!).

When you’ve got a bit extra time in your day, a 2024 examine³ within the Worldwide Journal of Behavioral Vitamin and Bodily Exercise discovered that about six minutes of vigorous-intensity train or half-hour of moderate-to-vigorous train per day may assist decrease your danger of coronary heart illness—even when you’re largely sedentary 11 hours a day or extra.

FYI: Vigorous train is something that is 70 to 85 p.c of your most coronary heart fee and average train is something that will get you to 50 to 70 p.c of your most coronary heart fee, in line with the American Coronary heart Affiliation (AHA). Yow will discover an estimate of your most coronary heart fee by subtracting 220 out of your age, per the AHA.

The takeaway? Do not panic you probably have a desk job that requires a ton of sitting. However do not throw your standing desk to the curb, both. So long as you stand up and transfer a bit all through your day, you could be certain you are doing nice issues on your total well being.