Spending long hours sitting or lying down has been linked to heart disease, even for people who are otherwise highly active.
A new study, released by the American College of Cardiology, says more than 10 hours of inactivity a day can be harmful to heart health.
Massachusetts General Hospital cardiologist Shaan Khurshid said the study found this amount of sitting and lying was “significantly” associated with heart failure and cardiovascular death.
“Our findings support cutting back on sedentary time to reduce cardiovascular risk, with 10.6 hours a day marking a potentially key threshold tied to higher heart failure and cardiovascular mortality,” he said.
“Too much sitting or lying down can be harmful for heart health, even for those who are active.”
The study was published in the JACC journal and was based on data from the 89,530 participants of the UK biobank project.
The study report said more than 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week was recommended to promote heart health.
However, this amount of exercise was only a small fraction of overall daily activity and sedentary behaviour over a long period of the day could impede the exercise benefits.
“Future guidelines and public health efforts should stress the importance of cutting down on sedentary time,” Dr Khurshid said. “Avoiding more than 10.6 hours per day may be a realistic minimal target for better heart health.”
The full report is on the American College of Cardiology website.
