Sitting On Mortality

Risk of Sitting on Mortality Rate
Over half of an average person’s day is spent being sedentary while sitting, working at a computer, or watching television. Researchers have linked sitting for a long period of time with a number of health conditions, including obesity and metabolic syndrome (a cluster of conditions that includes increased blood pressure), abnormal cholesterol levels and remarkably deadly. According to a source, “men who sat for six hours or more a day in their leisure time had an overall death rate that was nearly 20 percent higher than men who sat for three hours or less in the 14-year follow-up period. Women who sat for more than six hours a day had a death rate that was almost 40 percent higher” (American Cancer Society). The increased risk cause of mortality is more prominent among people with lower levels of physical activity. People who have a habit of sitting for a longer period of time are less healthy and may be at the risk of prematurely death.

Researchers found that an adequate hour of moderate intensity physical activity per week can lower the overall risk of heart disease.

As mentioned in an article, “Avoiding sedentary time and getting regular exercise are both important for improving your health and survival; it is not good enough to exercise for 30 minutes a day and be sedentary for 23 and half hours” (Dr. Alter). Although human beings are not sedentary creatures, modern technology which include televisions, computers, and automobiles are tends forced people to spend far longer sitting down than standing up. Researches recommend that the health risk of sitting too much is less prominent when physical activity is

increased.
In addition, increased incidence of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes have been associated with death caused by prolonged sitting. As published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, “The more hours women in the study spent sitting at work, driving, lying on the couch watching TV, or engaged in other leisurely pursuits, the greater their odds of dying early from all causes, including heart disease and cancer.” Sedentary behavior is related to increased risk of the development of chronic conditions. It is understood that exercise and physical activity can reduce mortality rate, however a moderate exercise it not enough. Chief of preventive medicine at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital mentioned, “Even if you are doing the recommended amount of moderate to vigorous exercise, you will still have a higher risk of mortality if you’re spending too many hours sitting” (Dr. Azoh).
In conclusion, the amount of time an individual sits during a day might results in numbers of complications like heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and death. Researchers have discovered the negative effects of sitting time on health, however, such effects are more pronounced among those who do slight or no exercise than among those who participate in vigorous amount of exercise. According to an article, “Even if you do a half an hour or an hour or of exercise every day doesn't give us the reassurance that sitting for the other 23 hours is ok. In fact, it's not, said Dr. David Alter of the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, one of the authors of the study. Avoiding too much sedentary time and getting an energetic regular exercise are one of the important steps in health improvement and survival.