Over 8 hours daily sitting work increases risk of heart disease by 50%

Workers who sit in front of their computers for eight hours a day are 20 per cent more likely to have a heart attack or stroke. 

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Medical practitioners have long warned individuals about the dangers of leading an unhealthy lifestyle and the consequences for vital human organs such as the heart. New research has found that those who work in offices are more likely to experience cardiovascular risks such as heart attacks and strokes.

According to a study from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, workers who sit with their computers for eight hours a day are 20 per cent more likely to have a heart attack or stroke. Sitting for long periods substantially doubles the chance of having heart failure.

Researchers looked at the records of 105,677 people from 21 countries over 11 years. There were nearly 6,200 deaths by the end of the trial. There were also 2,300 heart attacks, 3,000 strokes, and 700 episodes of heart failure, but not all of these were fatal.

The participants were divided into groups based on how much time they admitted to spending at their workplace. A study published in JAMA Cardiology enabled researchers to see if there was a trend. The study also discovered that regular exercise might help reduce the risks associated with excessive sitting at their workstation.

According to the study, limiting sitting time at desks and increasing physical activity could have similar health benefits to quitting smoking. Doctors have traditionally advised people to take regular rests between tasks.

The people who exercised the most (at least twelve and a half hours per week) had a 17 per cent higher chance of dying from heart disease. Participants who exercised the least (less than two and a half hours per week) had a fifty per cent increased risk.

Furthermore, it was discovered that sitting for lengthy periods combined with a lack of physical exercise resulted in 8.8 per cent of fatalities and 5.8 per cent of heart disease cases. Wei Li, the study's principal author, advocates for a more active lifestyle.

Even doctors recommend that patients exercise for at least 30 minutes daily, ranging from moderate to intense. In the United Kingdom, 160,000 people die yearly from heart and circulation problems. This is the leading cause of death in the United States, killing 6,59,000 people annually or one person every 36 seconds. In India, the amount is staggering, 17 lakh people each year!