Is sitting much worse than smoking?

Every now and then, we read that sitting is the new smoking, is it really?

Since 2010, this statement is making rounds in media that sitting is as harmful as smoking. Various, magazines and journals have published articles on this topic. People are also interested in this debate. Behind the increasing media attention, conflicting news headlines on sitting being the “new smoking” or “worse than smoking” has led to confusions and uncertainties with respect to public health recommendations. In actuality, it really is still too early to tell.  According to a recent research published in the American Journal of Public Health in November 2018, equating sitting with smoking is “still unwarranted, misleading for the public, and may serve to distort and trivialize the ongoing and serious risks of smoking”.

According to the US Surgeon General’s report, the epidemic of smoking-related disease was ranked among the major public health concern in the twentieth century. American Cancer Society reveals smoking is causing the highest number of cancer cases and deaths. The burden caused by smoking, as far as the annual cost of smoking-related diseases and disease risk estimates, still outweigh the numbers for sitting.  However, some people believe this may not hold true much longer.

Having said this, it does not mean that sitting all day is not bad. It might have long lasting impacts on one’s health. When we sit all day hunched over our computers, we are doing irreparable damage to our bodies, specially to our back. It is believed by the health experts that there is a high price that eventually must be paid for our inactive lifestyle.

“A growing body of research shows that long periods of physical inactivity raise your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity.”

When you sit for longer period of time, your body is inactive and uses less energy than you do when you are standing or in motion. Research has linked sitting for long periods of time with a number of health concerns. They include obesity and health conditions like high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar levels, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol that causes metabolic syndrome. It is said that too much sitting overall and prolonged periods of sitting also contribute to the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Although, more study is needed on the effects of sitting and physical activity on health, it is quite obvious that less sitting and more moving overall contribute to better health. You should prefer standing over sitting when you have the chance or finding ways to walk while you work. For example:

• Take short breaks to stand or walk when you are constantly sitting and working.
• When you are talking on phone or watching television, do it by taking a walk.
• If you work at a desk, go for a high table or counter.
• Walk with your colleagues for meetings rather than sitting in a conference room.

 

The impact of movement, even light walk, can be great. Physical activity will help you maintain muscle tone, your mood, your ability to move and your mental well-being.

 

by: Abeer Arshad 

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