Exercising but sitting too much? You may still get heart disease, says study

Are you someone who, despite leading a hectic life, tries their best to lead a life with discipline and certain rules? Despite the humdrums of a fast-paced life, tries to squeeze a bit time out for working out, to keep up with a healthier life? Then, this news might grab your attention.According to a news research, sitting at your desk all day may put you at greater risk for heart disease. Dr. Ezim Ajufo, a cardiology fellow at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, also happens to be the first study author said, "Our findings really emphasize the importance of avoiding excess sitting… whether or not you're physically active."According to the study published recently in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, researchers looked at data from nearly 90,000 people who wore an accelerometer for a week and compared their sedentary and active time with later diagnoses of conditions like stroke, heart attack and heart failure in later years.However, as per Dr. Keith Diaz, associate professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, while there is a general understanding that sitting too much is likely bad for your health, there's a need for more research to understand the exact risks and the guidelines for what qualifies as too much sitting. Readers must note, Dr. Diaz was not involved in the beforementioned research.However, Dr. Diaz mentioned that this study was particularly helpful in investigating sitting because of its large sample size and the methodology it employed. Not only was more sedentary time associated with greater risk for cardiovascular disease, but the data was able to show a general guideline for what might count as too much sitting, according to the study. Humans are built to stand upright. Your heart and cardiovascular system work more effectively that way. Your bowel also functions more efficiently when you are upright. It is common for people who are bedridden in hospital to experience problems with their bowel function. When you are physically active, on the other hand, your overall energy levels and endurance improve, and your bones maintain strength.Living a sedentary lifestyle can be dangerous to your health. The less sitting or lying down you do during the day, the better your chances for living a healthy life. If you stand or move around during the day, you have a lower risk of early death than if you sit at a desk. Sitting for too long can have many negative health effects, including:Heart disease: Sitting for long periods has been linked to heart disease. One study found that men who watch more than 23 hours of television a week have a 64 per cent higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than men who only watch 11 hours of television a week. Some experts say that people who are inactive and sit for long periods have a 147 per cent higher risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke.Diabetes: Studies have shown that even five days lying in bed can lead to increased insulin resistance in your body (this will cause your blood sugars to increase above what is healthy). Research suggests that people who spend more time sitting have a 112 per cent higher risk of diabetes. Cancer: Emerging studies suggest the dangers of sitting include increasing your chances of developing some types of cancer, including lung, uterine, and colon cancers. The reason behind this is not yet known.Stiff neck and shoulders: If you spend your time hunched over a computer keyboard, this can lead to pain and stiffness in your neck and shoulders.Hips and back: Your hips and back will not support you as well if you sit for long periods. Sitting causes your hip flexor muscles to shorten, which can lead to problems with your hip joints. Sitting for long periods can also cause problems with your back, especially if you consistently sit with poor posture or don’t use an ergonomically designed chair or workstation. Poor posture may also cause poor spine health such as compression in the discs in your spine, leading to premature degeneration, which can be very painful.Leg disorders: Sitting can lead to deep vein thrombosis (DVT), swelling in your ankles, and varicose veins. Sitting for long periods can lead to weakening and wasting away of the large leg and gluteal muscles. These large muscles are important for walking and for stabilising you. If these muscles are weak you are more likely to injure yourself from falls, and from strains when you do exercise. Varicose veins: Sitting for long periods can lead to varicose veins or spider veins (a smaller version of varicose veins). This is because sitting causes blood to pool in your legs. Varicose veins aren’t usually dangerous. In rare cases, they can lead to blood clots, which can cause serious problems (see deep vein thrombosis, below).Deep vein thrombosis: Sitting for too long can cause deep vein thrombosis (DVT), for example on a long plane or car trip. A deep vein thrombosis is a blood clot that forms in the veins of your leg. DVT is a serious problem, because if part of a blood clot in the leg vein breaks off and travels, it can cut off the blood flow to other parts of the body, including your lungs, which can cause a pulmonary embolism. This is a medical emergency that can lead to major complications or even death.Mental health: Sitting can be bad for your mental health. We don’t understand the links between sitting and mental health as well as we do the links between sitting and physical health yet, but we do know that the risk of both anxiety and depression is higher in people that sit more. This might be because people who spend a lot of time sitting are missing the positive effects of physical activity and fitness. If so, getting up and moving may help.