Sitting down too much can seriously damage your health

SITTING in front of the television for hours or never leaving your desk at work cancels out the health benefits of taking moderate exercise, a study has revealed.

The report, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine yesterday, found that an overly sedentary lifestyle increases a person's risk of contracting heart disease and diabetes by a quarter as it shuts off vital enzymes in the bloodstream, reducing the body's natural ability to process fat.

Researchers found that every additional hour a woman sat in front of a television increased the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease by 26 per cent, irrespective of how much moderate exercise was undertaken.

The results have led doctors to call for a campaign against sedentary lifestyles, saying that "muscular inactivity" needs to be recognised as a separate problem alongside too little exercise.

Jane DeVille-Almond, vice-chairwoman of the National Obesity Forum, said that employers needed to be more aware of the damaging effects of sedentary lifestyles on their workers.

She said: "Employers need to build regular breaks and small exercises into the daily work programme. Men are particularly bad at thinking that a few sit-ups constitutes exercise, and this is simply not true.

"As the research confirms, when people are sitting down for long periods of time, such as at work, the effects on overall health are damaging."

Ms DeVille-Almond, who previously set up obesity clinics for men at truck stops and barber shops around the UK, said simple exercises can help.

"When at work, people should make an effort to move at least once an hour, stand up while talking on the phone or make sure they take lunch away from their desks," she said.

Recent research suggests an association between prolonged bouts of sitting and lack of whole body muscular movement, and health issues including obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

The research team behind the report said that health policies should promote higher levels of general daily activity as well as regular exercise.

Climbing the stairs rather than using the lift, taking five-minute breaks during sedentary work, or walking to the shops rather than taking the car were all suggested as possible remedies. The team added: "People who are already insufficiently physically active will increase their risk (of serious health problems] even further by prolonged sitting time."

More research is needed on the link between prolonged sitting and ill health, say the authors of the research, but some underlying mechanisms have already been identified, including an enzyme that has a key role in the regulation of key blood fats.