Regardless of whether or not a person exercises, it was found that prolonged sitting periods may actually have adverse health effects for an individual. In a recent study, it was proven that having a motionless lifestyle may actually worsen the health condition of a person with an existing heart problem.
Dr. Stephanie Prince of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute in Canada was the study's lead author where in it was showed that prolonged sitting periods can generate severe health consequences which includes increased risk of heart disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes. In previous studies, it has even explained how a motionless lifestyle is likely to lead into an increased risk of anxiety and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Exercise is not a guarantee of reducing sitting risks for heart disease patients
Known as the leading cause of death among men and women in the US, the team included 278 patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) in conducting their study.
For 9 consecutive days, these 278 participants was equipped with an activity monitor especially during walking hours so that researchers will know as to how long each subject has spent in sitting down and as well as whether they've done a light, moderate or vigorous form exercise.
As soon as the findings were released, it was showed that on a span of 8 hours per day, participants were actually found to be motionless. Surprisingly, the results were not the ones that experts had been expecting considering that participants had their plan and pattern of how to get more exercise. Dr. Prince revealed that as they were conducting the experiment, they were actually assuming that participants will be less sedentary but in turns out to be the other way around.
Furthermore, according to Medical News Today, Dr. Prince added that the findings did not consider factors such as age, gender or how much time the participants had spent in exercising. Thus, as Dr. Prince adds, it only means that no matter how exercise they make, people who sits for a long period of time are still considered heavier and less fit.
Finally, as Dr. Prince recommends it, further information and awareness on the said issue can actually help heart disease patients to join in various cardiac rehabilitation programs.
