A new study shows that women who live sedentary lifestyles have a higher risk of early death, especially in older women.
Published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researcher Rebecca Seguin says that older women who spend most of their time sitting and resting have an increased risk of early death. Seguin, who is also the assistant professor of nutritional sciences at Cornell University’s College of Human Ecology, said in a statement:
The assumption has been that if you’re fit and physically active, that will protect you, even if you spend a huge amount of time sitting each day.
In fact, in doing so you are far less protected from negative health effects of being sedentary than you realize.
The study looked at 92,234 post-menopausal women between the ages 50 and 79. They followed the women closely for an average of 12 years to investigate the relationship between spending more time being sedentary (not including sleep), and having a higher risk of death over the follow-up period, including cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease and cancer.
The study showed that the women spent an average of nine to 10 hours a day sitting. Results showed that the women who spent more than 11 hours resting or sitting everyday had a 12% higher risk of dying early, compared to those who spent only four or fewer hours resting or sitting each day.
“As older adults have high levels of sedentary time, they should be included in future intervention trials designed to decrease sedentary time to determine whether this modifiable risk factor can extend active life,” the researchers say.
The study also notes that 10-minutes or more bouts of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) provide substantial health benefits, with higher doses producing greater benefits.
Whether you’re young or old, you should at least spend 30 minutes each day doing physical activities.
