People with desk jobs should spend some time standing or walking. PHOTO: FILE
While sedentary behaviour (such as watching TV and commuting time) has been linked to negative health effects, it is unclear whether more time spent standing has protective health benefits or not.
To investigate further, a research team led by Kerem Shuval from American Cancer Society examined reported standing habits in relation to objectively measured obesity and metabolic risk among more than 7,000 adults between 2010 and 2015.
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Specifically, the association between standing time and obesity was determined through three measures: body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, and waist circumference.
The association between standing and metabolic risk was assessed via metabolic syndrome — a clustering of risk factors that increase the risk for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
The study found that among men, standing a quarter of the time was linked to a 32% less chance of obesity (body fat persentage).
Standing half the time was associated with a 59% reduced likelihood of obesity. But standing more than three-quarters of the time was not associated with a lower risk of obesity.
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In women, standing a quarter, half, and three quarters of the time was associated with 35%, 47%, and 57% reductions in the likelihood of abdominal obesity (waist circumference) respectively.
No relationship between standing and metabolic syndrome was found among women or men. The study appeared in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 11th, 2015.
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