Standing Fights Obesity

Taken from the November 30th edition of The Week Magazine:

It’s well established that a sedentary existence is bad for us and that regular exercise promotes better health. Apparently, new research reveals, we don’t even have to hit the treadmill to feel better; just standing up can have significant benefits, The Washington Post reports. A five-year study of more than 7,000 adults found that people who stood for at least 25 percent of their day displayed considerably lower risk of obesity—32 percent for men and 35 percent among women. Meanwhile, standing for half of the day reduced the likelihood of obesity among men by 59 percent, compared with 47 percent among women. It’s unclear from the data if standing directly reduces obesity risk or if people who are obese simply stand less. But the results offer another argument for logging some upright time. “Many of us have sedentary jobs and commute long hours,” says lead author Kerem Shuval of the American Cancer Society. “In general, the goal is to find any reason to get off your chair more often.”

We have seen this previously here and here. Scary if we are not absorbing this information (and yet I am siting as I write this!)