Standing too much can raise the risk of circulatory disease, a new study says. Experts say the key is to 'just move.'
For years, research has repeatedly suggested that sitting all day is bad for your health. Extended sitting is linked with numerous serious health conditions, including obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes. To reduce these risks, many people have sought out standing desks at work or made more of an effort to be on their feet during the day.
But new research suggests that standing may come with its own complications — especially regarding heart health. The study, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, claims that standing more may not reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and may actually increase the risk of developing a circulatory disease.
The findings raise a lot of questions about what people should think about sitting versus standing. Here’s what doctors want you to know.
What were the findings?
Researchers from the University of Sydney wanted to determine if standing was a healthier alternative to sitting, as past studies have suggested. What the team found was that standing more did not reduce a person's risk of cardiovascular disease in the long term. Standing too long could also increase the risk of developing circulatory issues, such as varicose veins and deep vein thrombosis.
What's considered too long? Researchers — who analyzed heart condition and circulatory disease data from more than 83,000 adults in the U.K. using smartwatch-style wearables — noted that for every extra 30 minutes spent standing for longer than two hours a day, the risk of circulatory disease increased by 11%.
“The key takeaway is that standing for too long will not offset an otherwise sedentary lifestyle and could be risky for some people in terms of circulatory health," lead author Dr. Matthew Ahmadi said in a press statement. "We found that standing more does not improve cardiovascular health over the long term and increases the risk of circulatory issues."
But the findings didn’t show that sitting was a great option either. The researchers discovered that sitting for more than 10 hours a day increased the risk of cardiovascular disease.
What do doctors think about this?
Many doctors find the study results interesting, but also inconclusive. Dr. Johanna Contreras, a cardiologist at Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital in New York City, tells Yahoo Life that it’s not entirely clear what the study participants did when they were standing. “Were they standing and moving, or just standing?” she says. “That makes a difference.”
The findings “go a little against the belief that standing is better or healthier for long periods of time,” Dr. Christopher Yi, a vascular surgeon at Memorial Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, Calif., tells Yahoo Life.
However, he’s not shocked at the great risk of developing conditions like varicose veins and deep vein thrombosis from standing for long periods of time. “We’re well aware that long periods of standing increases your risk of these orthostatic circulatory diseases,” he says. “We see that quite often in the office.”
So, should you sit or stand?
There is a robust body of research that has found sitting for long periods of time isn’t good for you and may even lead to an early death.
In fact, one meta-analysis of 13 studies found that those who sat for more than eight hours a day and weren’t physically active had a risk of dying similar to people who were obese or smoked. (But the researchers also found that doing 60-75 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a day counteracted the risks of too much sitting.)
It’s important to note that the same research team behind the latest study published a study earlier this year that found about six minutes of vigorous exercise or 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise a day could help lower the risk of heart disease in people who sit for more than 11 hours a day.
Ultimately, doctors say this study and many that came before it stress that it’s important to be active, regardless of your position for longer periods during the day. “People who just stand but don’t move don’t really have good cardiovascular health based on that,” Contreras says. “The aerobic activity is what matters. Just standing is not cardiovascular exercise.”
Yi agrees. “The overall advice is to not remain stationary,” he says. “Continuing with movement at work or at home is much better for your health.”
Contreras recommends moving more throughout your day, whether you tend to spend a lot of your time sitting or standing. “If you don’t move, you’re not being active,” she says. That can include doing things like taking regular laps around your workplace when you can, walking while taking calls and taking the stairs whenever possible. “You want to be active during the day,” she says. “It’s OK to incorporate shorter activities. Just move.”