New Study Does Not Recommend Standing Desks

Picture from CMD

I have written previously on the ill effects of sitting and prolonged sitting. This has also led to the phrase that "sitting is the new smoking". Which subsequently led to standing desks as a 'trendy' option to offer a way to reduce sitting time.

Previously, some of my patients have also asked me to write a memo for them so they can get  their company to pay for a standing desk at work, while other patients have simply asked for my opinion.

My take on standing desks then? I've seen many of my patients go straight from sitting to a standing desk get different problems. Being unaccustomed on their feet all day long posed new risks. It can inhibit proper circulation and add additional pressure to your legs, hips and lower back. Sort of like jumping from the frying pan into the fire if you ask me.

My suggestions for these patients was not to switch to a standing desk for the full work day, especially if they have been sitting all day immediately. To make sure they gradually phase it in.

Like previous ergonomic chairs, desks etc, there hasn't been much evidence supporting the benefits of standing desks. The earlier limited studies did not comprehensively assess long term health consequences.

In a newly published study this month (Ahmadi et al, 2024), 83, 013 participants wore devices for up to 7 years to track their sitting, standing and physical activities. This was more accurate and objective than self reporting by subjects. The researchers found that sitting for more than 10 hours a day was associated with a higher risk of heart disease and stroke.

The researchers also found that standing more did not mitigate this risk of stroke and heart disease. In fact standing for extended periods was linked to a increased risk of circulatory problems. This suggested that simply changing from stationary sitting to standing will not solve the problem since our bodies respond better to movement rather than staying in static positions. Remember motion is lotion.

Workplace interventions that promote movement found that office workers who reduce sitting time by adding light walking and standing had improvements in blood sugar levels.

So, walk to your colleague to talk to them instead of calling or emailing, take the stairs often instead of elevators, walking to the pantry etc all contribute. Better still if you can do 10 bodyweight squats every 45 minutes. All these can make a significant difference.

Reference

Ahmadi MN, Coenen P, Straker L et al (2024). Device-measured Stationary Behaviour And Cardiovascular And Orthostatic Circulatory Disease Incidence.  Int J Epidemiol. 53(60: dyae136. DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyae136

*Note that the study's large population use and the use of devices to measure objective data strengthen the findings. However, observational studies may not totally establish cause and effect. Also since the average age of the subjects was about 61 years, it may not totally apply to younger popuplations.

Should I Be Using A Standing Desk?

Now, that's a different standing desk. By Liz Henry from Flickr

Sitting kills. That's the headline many of you would have seem or read in the last few years. You've also read or heard that sitting is the new smoking. And if you've been following our blog, I've written before that despite exercising a lot, if you sit too much at work, you can be what is known as an active couch potato. Worse still, all that sitting can negate the benefits of your exercise.

Well fortunately for me, I hardly get to sit much when I'm working in the clinic.

Many of my patients have asked about the benefits of a standing desk. I even found a picture (below) of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill working on his slanted standing desk.

Kurt Hutton/picture post via Getty

Standing desks have been suggested as an alternative to the ills of sitting. And there's studies to show that working upright (at a standing desk) can help correct your posture and tone your stomach and legs without compromising your focus.

And in kids, standing desks seems to increase their energy levels and reduce hunger.

My take on standing desks? I've seen many of my patients go straight from sitting to a standing desk get different problems. Being unaccustomed on their feet all day long poses new risks. It can inhibit proper circulation and add additional pressure to your legs, hips and lower back. Sort of like jumping from the frying pan into the fire if you ask me.

And unfortunately, research shows that standing once or twice throughout your work day will not offer you enough relief. So don't switch to a standing desk if you've been sitting all day straight away, make sure you gradually phase it in.

What are the alternatives? I prefer the stability ball or better still the saddle stool with adjustable height so that you can perch on it if you're not quite used to standing yet.

Our clinic's saddle stool

There's also the desk cycle, though I definitely haven't tried it yet.

Desk cycle

References

Commiassaris DA, Konemann R et al (2014). Effects Of A Standing And Three Dynamic Workstations On Computer Task Performance And Cognitive Function Tests. Appl Ergon. 45(6): 1570-1578. DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2014.05.003.

Garcia MG, Laubil T and Martin BJ (2015). Long-term Muscle Fatigue After Standing Work. Human Ftr and Ergo Society. 57(7): 1162-1173. DOI: 10.1177/0018720815590293.

Not All Sitting Is Bad

He rarely sits like this .... always running around

Remember I wrote about active couch potatoes? And you've also read that sitting can negate some of the benefits of your exercise. Or worse still, some have said that sitting is the new smoking.

Well fret not, it seems that some sitting is not quite as bad as it seems.

Published research seems to suggest that not all sitting is the same. Well, at least sitting on your sofa and watching television is different from sitting at your desk at work.

Researchers studied over 3000 subjects who completed a series of surveys and had the thickness of their carotid artery walls measured with ultrasound (this is a good measure of heart disease risk).

The surveys measured television viewing time (in increments of two hours a day) and sedentary time at work (never, seldom, sometimes, often and always). Levels of physical activity were also measured.

The results showed that the more television the subjects watched, the thicker their artery walls, regardless of how much they exercised.

Surprise surprise, it was different however for workplace sitting. Those who sat more at work seemed to have better arteries, even after factoring in income levels and level of education.

This suggests that the nature of your sitting matters. The researchers mentioned that television watching is often completely uninterrupted and may be directly after high calorie meals like dinner. I guess I'm guilty of this sometimes and what's more, I am snacking while watching TV as well.

Workplace sitting may require the subjects to get up periodically to go to the printer, look for a colleague or going to the pantry etc.

The researchers also suggested potential confounding factors. Those who sat more at work were younger and likely to be employed full time while those who watched more TV seemed to be older, less educated or made less money. Results were adjusted to account for those differences.

I felt that there were some imitations in the study. The study may be more accurate if activity trackers were used instead of using surveys/ questionnaires to measure sedentary time.

Short breaks (from your sedentary sitting) seems to be critical in making a big difference. So whether you work from home or in an office, or work alone or in a group, meet your clients of spend time on the phone, make sure you get up and move every so often.

And if you've been sitting there too long reading this, you know you gotta move.

Reference

Diaz KM, Booth JN III et al (2016). Sedentary behaviour And Subclinical Atherosclerosis in African Americans: Cross-sectional Analysis Of The Jackson Heart Study. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. DOI: 10.1186/s12966-016-0349-y.

Too Much Sitting Negates The Benefits Of Your Exercise

Picture by Carsten Knoch from Flickr

Since my earlier post on Runners Run A Lot, Also Sit A Lot, I've received quite a few questions on how much does sitting affect us. So here's a follow up post on that article.

Well, to answer your queries, according to research, each hour of sitting negates 8 % of your gain from an hour's worth of running. So if you ran an hour this morning and then sit for 10 hours after that during the day, you lose about 80% of the health benefit you gained from your morning run.

That's rather upsetting isn't it? I've never thought I had to subtract (any health benefit) from my exercise before. Fortunately for me, I don't sit much during the day when I'm treating my patients. I sit most when I'm reading doing research and writing articles for this blog.

Now for the not so good news. If you do an hour's worth of moderate intensity exercise (running is considered vigorous exercise), you lose about 16 % of your workout gains from each hour of sitting.

The above mentioned data were the same for both men and women.

Researchers obtained the results through analysis of objective fitness and exercise data obtained through the National Education and Nutrition Survey (NHANES). This is an annual survey conducted to assess the country's exercise and nutrition habits.

So for office workers and those who work from home and are mostly sitting, you should be walking up stairs rather than using the lifts, stand while talking on your phone, sitting on a gym ball, using a standing desk, walking out during your lunch and use a pedometer to log your dally step count.

As Little Eva (and later Kylie Minogue) sang, "So come on come on, do the loco-motion with me." 

Reference 

Kulinski JP, Khera A, Ayers CR et al (2014). Association Between Cardiorespiratory Fitness And Acclerometer-derived Physical Activity And Sedentary Time in General Population. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2014.04.019. 

Surely I can sit now after all that walking ....

Picture by Julio Velasco from Flickr.

Runners Run A Lot, Also Sit A Lot

Potatoes picture from Flickr

You're very active. You may average between 30-40 miles (48-68 km) a week while training for your half or full marathon, running an average of an hour almost daily. You also sit a lot while not exercising or running, close to 8 hours hours or more a day at times. Does this sound like you? You may be what researchers term an "active couch potato."

A group of researchers studied runners (average age of the 218 runners was 35, slightly more than two-thirds were women) who competed in the Austin half and full marathon. These runners ran almost an hour a day (making them among America's most active adults). The runners sat a lot too, ranging from 8 to 11 hours daily.

While looking at the demographics of the runners, a large number of then tend to be professionals with office type desk bound jobs. Is that you?

There were big differences between workday and non workday activities for these runners. The runners slept seven hours a night in the work days and sat about 11.4 hours. While not working, they slept eight hours and sat about 8.5 hours.

There was no connection between training time and sitting time, meaning runners who ran more did not sit more or less than those who ran less. Their results suggest that the runners' sedentary behaviours did not displace their moderate to vigorous activities (running or other exercises). The two coexist at high levels in this study.

This study did not say that the runners' sitting time was unusually high or that it led to any health outcomes although other studies have shown that sitting time is an independent predictor for diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases and most other lifestyle diseases (Katzmaryzk et al 2009). In other words, excessive sitting may cancel out some of the benefits of your exercise.

These runners' are " simultaneously highly sedentary and highly active." The authors suggested that these runners' may be a good group for future studies. This may give us more information on how much we have to exercise to negate the harmful effects of sitting.

After spending all that time sitting, researching, reading and then typing this article, I'd better get up and stop sitting.

Reference

Whitefield G et al (2014). Sedentary And Active: Self-reported Sitting Time Among Marathon And Half-marathon Participants. J Phys Act Health. Jan 11(1): 165-172. doi: 10.1123/jpah.2011-0410.

While I was still actively training, once I came home after a hard swim, bike or run, I'll be sitting, eating or sleeping.....