Just standing can have a protective effect against cancer and cardiovascular diseases. This is written by epidemiologist Peter Katzmarzik of the American Pennington Biomedical Research Center in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
Standing or sitting-What is better with a low level of physical activity?
Long periods of sitting are an unhealthy condition that is not even compensated by exercise. A number of studies have documented significant associations between sedentary behaviors, such as sitting or watching TV, and premature mortality. But what about another type of low-energy behavior-standing? Peter Katzmarzik wanted to answer this question. The scientist analyzed data on 16,586 Canadians aged 18 to 90 who were supervised by researchers under the Canada fitness survey program from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s. Participants were followed for an average of 12.0 years to establish mortality status. Information was collected on standing time, as well as several covariates, including smoking, alcohol consumption, preparation for physical activity, and moderate or vigorous physical activity. In this cohort, 1,785 deaths were recorded (743 due to cardiovascular disease [CVD], 530 to cancer and 512 to other causes). Katsmarzik found that the risk of death of participants was lower, the more they stood every day.
Relationship between standing position and mortality rate
After adjusting for age, sex, and additional covariates, standing time was negative associated with all – cause mortality rates, CVD, and other causes (more standing-lower rates).
Katsmarczyk divided the participants into “active group on the recurring plan”and”inactive group”. The active group exercised in their free time, more than 7.5 hours per week. If you walk vigorously enough five days a week for at least half an hour, you are already qualified for an active group. Standing reduced the risk of mortality in the active group, but this effect was not statistically significant. This was due to the fact that the positive effect of exercise would outweigh the positive effect of standing.
Conclusion: standing is better than a sedentary lifestyle
“Sitting and standing is behavior at the lower end of the energy cost continuum, and neither would be considered” physical activity,”” Katzmarzik writes. “The results of this study complement this evidence by showing that people who do not enjoy the benefits of a physically active lifestyle can at least mitigate some of the health risks associated with physical inactivity by staying more up during the day. Perhaps these benefits are observed at the bottom of the energy cost continuum; however, a clear dose-response Association was observed, so that people who were standing for most of the day had a 33% lower risk of all-cause mortality than those who had almost never reported standing.”
Fitness and health 