London: Office workers take note! Frequent breaks could help you live longer. Reducing sitting time can help you cut extra body fat, and so lower the risk of heart disease, diabetes and early death, says a new study.
The study, which was followed up for three months, showed a reduction of 0.61 per cent body fat in participants.
During the study, they were asked to sit for 71-minutes less than they normally did during work hours, and results were noted after a month.
“A reduction in sitting time by 71 minutes per day could have positive effect in the long run as this could be associated with reduced risk of heart diseases, diabetes and all-cause mortality, especially among those who are inactive,” said professor Janne Tolstrup from National Institute of Public Health, Denmark.
Researchers from University of Southern Denmark, the National Research Centre for Prevention and Health and the University of Sydney conducted a multi-component work-based intervention to reduce sitting time and prolonged sitting periods.
The team analysed 317 office workers in 19 offices across Denmark and Greenland who were randomly put into the intervention or control groups.
The intervention included environmental office changes and a lecture and workshop, where workers were encouraged to use their sit-stand desks.
Using accelerometers, researchers were able to measure results across a five-day working week.
After one month, participants in the intervention group sat down for 71 minutes less in an eight-hour work day than the control group. This was reduced to 48 minutes after three months.
“The number of steps per workday hour was 7 per cent higher at one month and 8 per cent higher at three months,” said the study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
