What happens when we sit a lot?

We have all heard that a sedentary lifestyle is unhealthy. Trying to get a better understanding of why it is unhealthy, researchers investigated the association between weekday sitting time and biomarkers linked to chronic low-grade inflammation, insulin resistance, and adiposity (Yates T, et al. 2012). The study included 505 participants with an average age of 59 years.

The results showed that an increase in sitting time was positively associated with fasting insulin, leptin, leptin/adiponectin ratio, CRP, and IL-6 in women. Leptin and adiponectin were used as metabolic biomarkers and CRP and IL-6 are both inflammatory markers.

The conclusion was that weekday sitting time was associated with biomarkers linked to chronic low-grade inflammation and poor metabolic health in women.

If you have a sedentary job or are staying home during the day, this study shows how important it is not to sit for prolonged periods of time. It is better to get up at times and move around a little.

Yates T, Khunti K, Wilmot EG, Brady E, Webb D, Srinivasan B, Henson J, Talbot D, Davies MJ. Self-reported sitting time and markers of inflammation, insulin resistance, and adiposity. Am J Prev Med. 2012 Jan;42(1):1-7.