Working 9 to 5 can be Deadly

Working 9 to 5 can be Deadly

Researchers estimate that inactivity is now responsible for 5 — 3 million deaths worldwide – a similar number as smoking.

They looked into data obtained by analysing one million adults from 16 studies worldwide, including from the UK, the US, Canada and Australia. They concluded that adults who are sitting for eight hours a day were 59 per cent more likely to die within a 20 year period than those who were sedentary for four hours or less.

But this risk was almost eliminated if they did at least 60 to 75 minutes exercise a day – and two hours a day would be the ideal amount.

We all know that a standing desk would be much better for our overall health, but sometimes the complications of the workday, and the circumstances of the workplace, can make that impossible.

However, there are ways of undoing the ‘new’ harm that sitting all day does to us.

Health guidelines currently advise adults to do at least 30 minutes moderate exercise a day – including brisk walking – five times a week.  This is based on World Health Organisation recommendations, but experts say this should now be doubled in light of this new study.

Dr David Nunan, Senior Researcher at the Centre for Evidence Based Medicine, University of Oxford, told the Daily Mail:

“With enough of the right intensity of daily physical activity there is little risk of prolonged sitting for early death. The study does however suggest the WHO recommendations of 30 minutes moderate-intensity or vigorous-intensity physical activity per day may not be sufficient to eliminate this risk.”

Ultimately it’s important to include a five minute break very hour.

“Go to the next office, go upstairs to the coffee machine, to a print room but whatever you do take those breaks,” '

Professor Ulf Ekelund, the lead researcher from Cambridge University said to the Daily Mail.

"Build physical activity in your everyday life."