LIFESTYLE NEWS - Whether at work, home or commuting, research has found that the health risks associated with sitting for eight or more hours a day can be eliminated with an hour or more of exercise a day.

Sitting kills
While guidelines recommend doing at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week, studies in high-income countries have suggested that adults spend the majority of their waking hours sitting down.

Scientists have found increasing evidence that lack of physical activity is a major risk factor for several diseases and even early death.

In fact, recent estimates suggest that more than five million people die globally each year as a result of failing to meet recommended daily activity levels.

Studies of over one million people analysed
An international team of researchers asked the question: if an individual is active enough, can this reduce, or even eliminate, the increased risk of early death associated with sitting down?

In total the researchers analysed 16 studies, which included data from more than one million men and women.

The team grouped individuals into four groups depending on their level of moderate intensity physical activity, ranging from less than five minutes per day in the bottom group to over 60 minutes in the top. Moderate intensity exercise was defined as equating to walking at 5,6 kilometres (3,5 miles)/hour or cycling at 16 kilometres (10 miles)/hour, for example.

More than five million people die globally each year as a result of failing to meet recommended daily activity levels.
The researchers found that 60 to 75 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per day were sufficient to eliminate the increased risk of early death associated with sitting for over eight hours per day.