Up With People or Why standing is better than sitting
Dr Marc Hamilton is a professor of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Missouri in the USA. His research team discovered in 2007 the reason so many adults are overweight, and are developing heart disease and diabetes at such an alarming rate, is that body fat does not burn when the human body is seated. The medical and public health ramifications of this biological fact are huge because it is common for people to remain idle for half of their waking hours.
A modern lifestyle that sees us sitting in our cars, on the bus or train for our morning commute, sitting at our desks all day, sitting again as we commute home, then sitting in front of the television or PC all evening, adds up to a lifestyle that is creating serious disease states. In fact, this unprecedented level of inactivity has created the need for a new specialist area of scientific study called “inactivity physiology”, examining the medical, public health and physiological impacts of sitting too much.
Dr Hamilton’s analysis showed that the rates of heart disease, diabetes and obesity are sometimes tripled in people who sit a lot. The main culprit was identified as the enzyme lipase. When we are standing up lipase acts to absorb fat directly into the muscles fuelling their work, but when we are sitting down, lipase causes the fat to simply be stored, or to stay in the bloodstream where it can clog arteries and cause diseases like stroke and thrombosis.
We should all consider performing many of our regular tasks while standing, according to the study’s conclusion. Stand when you read your newspaper and mail, take frequent breaks at work and at home, to stand up and walk around. Stand up while talking on the phone or even while watching TV. It will also burn an extra 60 calories an hour and improve your good cholesterol levels (HDL). Using the large, powerful muscles of the legs is the key thing to remember.
For the full report: Diabetes, Vol. 56, November 2007 http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org