Sitting for more than 8 hours a day can increase your chances of heart disease by 50%, a study warns

A new scientific study has found that people who sit for more than eight hours a day can increase their chances of having a heart attack or stroke by up to 50%.

People who sit more than eight hours a day significantly increase their risk of heart attacks and strokes, according to a new study.

Scientists have regularly spoken about the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle, but the magnitude of its impact was revealed in a report that found people may be up to 50% more likely to develop heart failure.

The research is based on tracking the lifestyles of more than 100,000 people over a decade – and is particularly a warning for office workers who regularly spend eight or nine hours behind a desk.

Academics from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Simon Fraser University analyzed data from 105,677 people.

They found that reducing the amount of time spent sitting and increasing physical activity would have the same effects as a smoker quitting.

In the study, researchers had participants from 21 countries with an average age of 50, and they were asked how much time they spent sitting each day.

They were then followed and recorded for the next 11 years, with the results published in JAMA Cardiology.

It found that there were just over 6,200 deaths and that people who sat for more than eight hours had a 20% higher risk of dying from heart disease.

But people who were sedentary the most and also mixed that with little exercise when they got up had up to a 50% higher risk of dying early from a heart attack or stroke.

“The overarching message here is to minimize sitting time,” said Professor Scott Lear, who co-led the study, reported science daily.

“If you have to be sedentary, that risk is offset by more exercise at other times of the day.”

He also referenced the importance of moving.

Prof Lear continued: “For those who sit more than four hours a day, replacing half an hour of sitting with exercise reduced the risk by 2%. With only one in four Canadians meeting the activity guidelines, there’s a real opportunity here for people to increase their risk of being active and reduce their chances of early death and heart disease.”

And he said sitting idle is just as bad as smoking.

“Our study found that a combination of sitting and inactivity accounted for 8.8% of all deaths, which is close to the contribution of smoking,” said Prof Lear.

“It’s a global problem that has a remarkably simple solution. Allowing time to get out of that chair is a good start.”

Meanwhile, the NHS advises adults to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week, such as walking. B. brisk walking, or 75 minutes per week of high-intensity activity such as B. running should perform.