In an issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine, specialists say that prolonged periods of sitting are detrimental, noting that attention should be paid to the harms caused by daily inactivity rather than lack of regular exercise alone, said a statement by Medical News Today.
The term "sedentary behavior" refers to "taking no exercise," according to experts from the Karolinska Institute and the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden. They note that it should more specifically be used to describe "muscular inactivity."
Research has shown that prolonged periods of sitting and lack of whole body muscular movement are strongly tied to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and an overall higher risk of death–regardless of whether moderate to vigorous exercise is done, said the statement.
The authors said further investigation is needed to establish a causal effect between prolonged sitting and ill health, but some underlying mechanisms have already been identified, including an enzyme that plays a key role in the regulation of significant blood fats.
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"Are we facing a new paradigm of inactivity physiology?" Elin Ekblom-Bak, Mai-Lis Hellénius, Björn Ekblom
British Journal of Sports Medicine
[Source: Medical News Today]
