Taiwanese scientists have established a significant link between sedentary work and a heightened risk of mortality from heart-related causes according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
The research aimed to quantify the health risks associated with prolonged sitting due to work, investigating whether there exists a specific threshold of physical activity that can counteract these risks.
The study’s findings revealed that individuals primarily engaged in sedentary work faced a higher risk of overall mortality (16%) and cardiovascular disease-related mortality (34%) compared to those with predominantly active roles. Notably, this correlation persisted even after adjusting for factors such as gender, age, education, smoking, alcohol consumption, and body mass index.
Furthermore, the research suggested a potential remedy for those predominantly sitting at work. Engaging in 15 to 30 minutes of daily exercise was identified as a means to mitigate the increased risk, bringing individuals to a comparable risk level with those whose work involves less sitting.
The study concludes that reducing prolonged sitting in the workplace or augmenting the volume and intensity of daily physical activity may prove beneficial in curbing the heightened risks of mortality from various causes, particularly cardiovascular diseases linked to prolonged sedentary work.
In summary, the research recommends alternating between sitting and standing at work, incorporating additional exercise during leisure time, or achieving a Physical Activity Index (PAI) score greater than 100 to counteract the adverse effects of prolonged occupational sitting.
