JAKARTA - Recent research reveals a link between too much sitting and increased risk of heart disease. This research comes from Mass General Brigham (MGB) researchers.
The results of the study found that the risk increased significantly when sedentary behavior or lack of movement exceeded 10.6 hours per day. In this study, sedentary behavior was defined as activity while awake with low energy expenditure, such as lying down or sitting, and did not include nighttime sleep.
The researchers emphasize that meeting the recommendations for moderate to vigorous physical activity does not necessarily reduce the risk of heart disease. So, if a person spends a lot of time not moving, then the risk of heart disease is higher.
"Many of us spend most of our waking hours sitting down. Although there is a lot of evidence about the importance of physical activity, the impact of too much sitting has not been fully understood," said the study's lead author, Ezimamaka Ajufo, a cardiologist, quoted from the Harvard Gazette.
"Many people who exercise at the end of the day can make up for the habit of sitting all day. But our findings show that the problem is more complex than that," he added.
In the study, the team analyzed one-week activity tracker data from 89,530 and the UK Biobank prospective cohort. The study then assessed the relationship between daily sitting time and the risk of four major cardiovascular diseases, namely atrial fibrillation, heart attack, heart failure, and death from cardiovascular disease.
The results showed that a number of negative impacts of sedentary behavior still emerged, even though the respondents had met the recommendations for physical activity, namely a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per week.
The risk of atrial fibrillation and heart attacks can indeed be suppressed by exercise. However, the risk of heart failure and cardiovascular death is only partially reduced.
"Our data support that reducing sitting time and moving more is critical to lowering the risk of heart disease, especially heart failure and cardiovascular death," said senior author Shaan Khurshid.
With this study, the researchers hope that the results can be the basis for the preparation of future public health guidelines and strategies. They hope that the community will be more aware that avoiding sitting for too long is very important, even if you are already actively exercising daily.
"Exercise is very important, but avoiding sitting for too long seems just as crucial. We hope this study can provide new options for patients and health care professionals in maintaining cardiovascular health," said another senior author, Patrick Ellinor.
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