Sitting for extended periods shortens your life - Annals of Internal Medicine

Empty bench - N. Carlson

A September 12, 2017 article in the Annals of Internal Medicine, Patterns of sedentary behavior and mortality in U.S. middle-aged and older adults: A National Cohort Study confirmed what other studies that relied on self reporting have shown.  Sitting for prolonged periods is not healthy.

Accelerometers were placed on individuals in the cohort to measure the total amount of sedentary time and the duration of each sitting period.  The number of deaths in the study participants were checked a median of four years later.  The study found that longer duration (greater than 60 to 90 minutes) of sitting sessions and a longer time spent sitting were associated with all-cause mortality.

The researchers recommended that, "physical activity guidelines should target reducing and interrupting sedentary time to reduce risk for death."  Survival rate was best for individuals who sat for less than 30 consecutive minutes.

Sitting too long can kill you - 46 seconds