People who spent more than six hours a day sitting were significantly more likely to die over a 14-year span than those spending less than three hours daily on their duffs, according to a new study. The association was independent of physical activity and other risk factors such as Body Mass Index or smoking. Women who sat a lot saw a greater relative jump in mortality-a 34% increase-than men (17%). Even those sitting three to five hours were slightly more likely to die than those sitting the least. Among the more than 120,000 participants (average age 63.6 for men, 61.9 for women), death from cardiovascular disease was most strongly associated with sitting time. Scientists speculated that sitting might be a marker for other unhealthy behaviors, such as overeating, or could have independent metabolic effects.TO LEARN MORE: American Journal of Epidemiology, August 15, 2010; abstract at dx.doi.org/10.1093/aje/ kwq155.
