Can standing in workplace reduce risk of cardiovascular disease?

Investigators examined whether standing at work may alleviate the risk of cardiovascular disease.

In a study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, the investigators used the UK Biobank to assess the health impacts of sitting and standing behaviors in the workplace among more than 83,000 participants who wore wrist accelerometers for seven days. They measured how much time the participants spent sitting and standing every day, overall stationary behavior and cardiovascular disease incidence.

After an average follow-up of 6.9 years, the investigators found that standing was not associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, standing for more than two hours per day was correlated with an increased risk of developing orthostatic circulatory disease. The participants who sat for more than 10 hours per day had a heightened risk of both cardiovascular disease and orthostatic circulatory disease.

The findings indicated that an absence of ambulatory movement during both sitting and standing may contribute to circulatory issues. Strategies designed to boost overall physical activity may be more effective at improving the risk of cardiovascular disease rather than just replacing sitting with standing.

Read more: International Journal of Epidemiology

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