WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Earlier studies have already warned that sitting for a long time is extremely harmful for the health. In addition to that, a recent study found that sitting or lying down for more than 10 hours could be still harmful for the health, even if the person exercises regularly.
The study, led by a team from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, discussed guidelines regarding the maximum time people should spend sitting as well as the minimum time they should spend exercising.
'Our findings support cutting back on sedentary time to reduce cardiovascular risk, with 10.6 hours a day marking a potentially key threshold tied to higher heart failure and cardiovascular mortality,' said cardiologist Shaan Khurshid, from Massachusetts General Hospital and the Broad Institute.
'Too much sitting or lying down can be harmful for heart health, even for those who are active.'
Published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the study tracked activity data of around 90,000 individuals, with an average age of 62. Their fitness data was compared with long-term health records.
The researchers noted that people who sat for atleast 10.6 hours had a 40 percent higher risk of heart failure and a 54 percent increased risk of cardiovascular mortality compared to those who sat less.
The risk was higher in people who did not engage in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity for 150 minutes or more per week.
However, fulfilling the recommended exercise quota did not drastically reduce the risks. They had 15 percent more heart failure risk and 33 percent increased risk of cardiovascular mortality compared to those who sat less.
'Future guidelines and public health efforts should stress the importance of cutting down on sedentary time,' Khurshid recommended.
'Avoiding more than 10.6 hours per day may be a realistic minimal target for better heart health.'
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