Too Much Sitting Can Harm Your Health If you spend a lot of time
sitting every day, you may be harming your health, even if you
exercise. A recent review of 18 studies with nearly 800,000
participants found a link between sedentary living and overall
health. People who sit for long periods of time during the day
have a two-fold increased risk for diabetes and heart disease.
They also have a higher risk for death compared with people who
don't sit for extended periods. Researchers found that regular
exercise did not seem to lower this risk. Although the study was
not able to prove a direct link between too much sitting and
worse health, the findings suggest people should be more mindful
about their lifestyles. And fitting in regular exercise may not
be enough. "The average adult spends 50 to 70 percent of his or
her time sitting, so the findings of this study have far-
reaching implications," says study leader Emma Wilmot, a
research fellow in the Diabetes Research Group at the University
of Leicester in the U.