Staying on Your Feet Helps Keep Healthy, Study Says

Doctors and health specialists have linked the sedentary lifestyle to various health hazards and illnesses, encouraging people to pursue more active lifestyles. Another study published in the European Heart Journal recently revealed results that support this claim, the NY Daily News reports.

The research studied 782 men and women aged 36 to 80 in Australia. Results showed a direct link between less sitting and better health markers.

The study revealed: "An extra two hours per day spent standing rather than sitting was associated with approximately 2% lower average fasting blood sugar levels and 11% lower average triglycerides (fats in the blood)." Additionally, the extra two hours spent standing up instead of sitting was linked to higher level of HDL, the "good" cholesterol.

Study lead author Genevieve Healy, a senior research fellow at the University of Queensland in Herston told Health: "Switching some of your sitting time to standing could have benefits for your heart and metabolism. More time spent standing rather than sitting could improve your blood sugar, fats in the blood and cholesterol levels, while replacing time spent sitting with time walking could have additional benefits for your waistline and body mass index."

The research further states: "These findings provide important preliminary evidence on the potential benefits of standing for cardio-metabolic risk biomarkers. This has important public health implications given that standing is a common behavior."

Health also reports that according to Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, "many studies have found that the amount of sedentary time is associated with an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease and premature death."

The Smithsonian Magazine reported in 2014 quoted Mayo Clinic endocrinologist James Levine: "The way we live now is to sit all day, occasionally punctuated by a walk from the parking lot to the office. The default has become to sit. We need the default to be standing."

However, do not be too quick to throw out your chair for a standing workstation to battle "sitting disease," as the Boston Globe warns that too much standing puts much strain on your back and joints, especially if you're overweight.

One of the best ways to battle "sitting disease" is still to pair increased movement with better overall health choices (clean eating, regular exercise). Francisco Lopez-Jimenez of the Mayo College of Medicine in Minnesota said in an editorial that "the fight against sedentary behavior cannot be won based only on the promotion of regular exercise."

He added: "As a society, we have been focused too much on exercise and have paid less attention to the importance of just moving. People need to recognize the importance of not sitting too long during the day. Avoid the mindset that says, 'Do the least amount of effort.'"