Standing is healthier than sitting? “Could be risky”

Standing has gained popularity among people who want to compensate for the damage resulting from a sedentary lifestyle – spending long hours in front of a computer, TV or behind the wheel. Standing desks have become a popular option among office workers, and in other industries, such as retail, employees often work standing. However, new research from scientists at the University of Sydney in Australia and the Free University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands has found that standing compared to sitting does not improve cardiovascular health in the long term. However, it may increase the risk of circulatory problems associated with standing, such as varicose veins and deep vein thrombosis. Cardiovascular diseases include: coronary heart disease, stroke, and heart failure.

Researchers have also shown that sitting for more than 10 hours a day increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and orthostatic hypotension (a drop in blood pressure when standing), emphasizing the need for more physical activity during the day. At the same time, there was no evidence that prolonged standing was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. The article was published in the “International Journal of Epidemiology”.

– The key takeaway is that standing for too long will not offset a sedentary lifestyle and may be risky for some people in terms of cardiovascular health. “We found that standing for longer periods of time does not improve cardiovascular health in the long term and increases the risk of circulatory problems,” said Dr Matthew Ahmadi of the University of Sydney, lead author of the study and deputy director of the Mackenzie Wearables Research Center at the Charles Perkins Centre. He noted that there are other ways for sedentary people to improve their cardiovascular health. Although scientists have found that standing for long periods of time has no health benefits, they caution against sitting for long periods of time. They recommend that people who lead a sedentary lifestyle or stand for long periods of time exercise regularly during the day. 'For people who regularly sit for long periods of time, incorporating plenty of movement throughout the day and structured exercise may be a better way to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease,' said Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis, director of the Mackenzie Wearables Research Hub. – Take regular breaks, walk, conduct walking meetings, take the stairs, take regular breaks on long car journeys, or use your lunch break to get away from your desk and move around a bit. We're now entering the warmer months in Australia, so the weather is perfect for physical activity, Stamatakis said.

Research by Professor Stamatakis and Dr Ahmadi published earlier this year found that around 6 minutes of vigorous exercise or 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise a day could help reduce the risk of heart disease even in people who were sedentary for more than 11 hours a day. The latest study was conducted using data on heart attacks, strokes and vascular disease collected over seven to eight years from 83,013 adults in the UK. At the beginning of the study, these people did not have heart disease. Their physical activity was measured using professional-quality wrist-worn devices similar to a smartwatch. As the authors admit, the data used in the study did not directly concern the use of a standing desk; however, the impact of increased standing on the cardiovascular and circulatory systems was measured. The use of a standing desk in this study likely contributes a very small proportion of total standing.