SIT AND YOU DIE!
Sitting, a Risk Factor for Death
By Daniel J. DeNoon
Sit at leisure, die at haste, an American Cancer Society study finds.
In the 14-year study, people who spent at least 6 hours of their daily leisure time sitting died sooner than people who sat less than 3 hours.
And people who both sit a lot and exercise little are at even higher risk of death, find ACS epidemiologist Alpa V. Patel, PhD, and colleagues.
The effect is stronger for women than for men, but significant for both sexes.
Patel’s data come from 53,440 U.S. men and 69,776 women who were 50-74 years old when the study began in 1992.
After adjusting for smoking, height/weight, and other factors, Patel’s team found that compared to sitting less than three hours a day, sitting six or more hours a day:
- Increased the death rate by about 40% in women
- Increased the death rate by about 20% in men
- Increased the death rate by 94% in the least active women
