Skip to main content

Replacing Sitting for a Few Minutes of Activity Each Day Shows Health Benefits

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Dec 13, 2023.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Dec. 12, 2023 -- Replacing sitting with even a little moderate exercise each day improves heart health, according to a study published online Nov. 10 in the European Heart Journal.

Joanna M. Blodgett, Ph.D., from University College London, and colleagues investigated associations of five-part movement compositions with adiposity and cardiometabolic biomarkers. The analysis included data from six studies (15,253 participants; five countries) as part of the Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting and Sleep consortium.

The researchers found that a greater moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) proportion and smaller sedentary behavior (SB) proportion were associated with better outcomes. For all outcomes, reallocating time from SB, standing, light-intensity physical activity (LIPA), or sleep into MVPA resulted in better scores. Replacing 30 minutes of SB, sleep, standing, or LIPA with MVPA was associated with −0.63, −0.43, −0.40, and −0.15 kg/m2 lower body mass index, respectively. There was a benefit to greater relative standing time. But sleep had a detrimental association when replacing LIPA/MVPA and positive association when replacing SB. For improved cardiometabolic health, the minimal displacement of any behavior into MVPA ranged from 3.8 (hemoglobin A1c) to 12.7 (triglycerides) minutes/day.

"The most beneficial change we observed was replacing sitting with moderate to vigorous activity -- which could be a run, a brisk walk, or stair climbing -- basically any activity that raises your heart rate and makes you breathe faster, even for a minute or two," Blodgett said in a statement.

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Semaglutide Cuts Risk for Kidney Outcomes, Death in CKD With T2DM

FRIDAY, May 31, 2024 -- For patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease, semaglutide reduces the risk for clinically important kidney outcomes and death from...

DNA Methylation-Based Epigenetic Age Mediates Link Between LE8 Score, CVD

WEDNESDAY, May 29, 2024 -- The associations between Life's Essential 8 (LE8) and cardiovascular health are mediated by DNA methylation-based epigenetic age, according to a study...

Semaglutide Boosts Kidney Outcomes With Obesity + Cardiovascular Disease

TUESDAY, May 28, 2024 -- Once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide shows a benefit for kidney outcomes in people with overweight or obesity and established cardiovascular disease...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.