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From lunch to desk to dinner to bed: Doctors explain how sitting all day and walking less may be damaging your heart
Hindustan Times • • health
Key Points:
- Prolonged sitting during workdays, including immediately returning to work after meals, is linked to increased risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and early death, according to cardiology experts.
- Sedentary behaviour involves extended periods of sitting or reclining with minimal energy expenditure, which differs from physical inactivity, defined as insufficient moderate-to-vigorous physical activity; both contribute to cardiovascular risk factors.
- Atherosclerosis, the buildup of fatty plaques in arteries, is influenced by factors like cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, and physical inactivity, but sitting alone is not a direct cause of heart artery blockage.
- Experts recommend breaking up long periods of sitting with light activities such as standing, walking, and climbing stairs, alongside regular exercise, to improve cardiovascular health and reduce risks.
- The key message is to "move more, sit less," integrating physical activity throughout the day rather than relying solely on dedicated exercise sessions to effectively lower heart disease risk.
