Despite health warnings that say sitting for too long can cause adverse health outcomes, standing for long periods of time does not provide any benefit, according to a newly released study by University of Sydney researchers.
The study says that in addition to not showing any cardiovascular benefit of standing, there is an increased risk of circulatory issues related to standing, such as varicose veins and deep vein thrombosis.
The study notes that there was an 11% higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease for every 30 minutes of standing beyond two hours per day.
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The study suggests that the lack of movement, whether it be from sitting or standing, is the root cause of cardiovascular issues.
“The key takeaway is that standing for too long will not offset an otherwise sedentary lifestyle and could be risky for some people in terms of circulatory health. We found that standing more does not improve cardiovascular health over the long term and increases the risk of circulatory issues,” kead author Dr. Matthew Ahmadi said.
The University of Sydney’s study was published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
The research should not be taken as an invitation to sit for long periods of time. The research still notes an increased risk of cardiovascular problems associated with long periods of sitting.
“Take regular breaks, walk around, go for a walking meeting, use the stairs, take regular breaks when driving long distances, or use that lunch hour to get away from the desk and do some movement,” said Emmanuel Stamatakis, director of the Mackenzie Wearables Research Hub
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Researchers note that the data used was not explicitly collected on standing desk usage. The purpose of the study was to measure the cardiovascular and circulatory impacts of increased standing.
According to previous Harvard research, those who stand generally burn about 88 calories per hour compared to 80 calories per hour while sitting. But those who walk for an hour burn 210 calories.