Too much sitting everyday happens to the best of us, between work, driving, and after work. This can have severe adverse effects, especially among older men. Older men who spend a lot of time sitting are more likely to face heart failure down the road, a new study shows.
The research included more than 82,000 men between the ages of 45 and 69. Those who spent more time being sedentary outside of work hours, even if they exercised, had a higher risk of heart failure, reported the researchers from Kaiser Permanente Southern California per Philly.com.
“Men with low levels of physical activity were 52 percent more likely to develop heart failure than men with higher levels of physical activity,” said study author Deborah Rohm Young, a senior scientist at Kaiser Permanente in Pasadena, Calif.
Young stated that those who spent at least five hours a day seated were 34 percent more likely to develop heart failure than those who spent less than two hours a day seated. The research was published in the January issue of Circulation: Heart Failure.
The scientists used data from a large study, California Men’s Health Study. At the start of the study, none of the men had heart failure.
“We looked at baseline information on a questionnaire about physical activity and sitting time outside of work,” said Young, who noted that the men were followed for up to a decade.
Their exercise levels were calculated in a way that showed how much energy the body uses. In addition, researchers also tracked how many hours a day the men were sedentary.
“Those who had low physical activity — who sat a lot and got little exercise — were more than twice as likely to have heart failure compared to those who were active and had not very much sitting time outside of work,” Young explained.
The take home advice is simple, Young Said: Sit less, move more. Too much sitting clearly isn’t good for anyone, joining a gym or getting up to walk around during your lunch break is the first step.
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