When it comes to things that are seriously bad for your health, it's been said that, "sitting is the new smoking."
But just how bad are the consequences of being lazy AF?
Well, luckily, being a couch potato isn't as bad as we all originally thought.
A new review of past research just revealed that being sedentary won't increase your risk of heart disease -- that is, as long as you keep your lounging in moderation.
Scientists found that the scary side effects that have been linked to extreme sitting in the past, like increased risk of heart disease and strokes, only apply to the next-level lazy people who are sedentary for more than 10 hours a day.
Dr. Ambarish Pandey of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, stated,
Our findings suggest that sedentary time is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, independent of other potential risk factors such as body mass index and physical activity, only at very high levels.
Using data from nine different studies in which over 700,000 adults were examined, researchers were able to determine the correlation between “sedentary time,” which includes low activity periods such as sitting or driving, and the occurrence of heart attacks and strokes.
Researchers found that the people who were inactive for about 12 each day, had a 14 percent higher chance of developing heart disease than those who were sedentary for less than three waking hours per day. While individuals who were sedentary for 10 hours a day experienced an 8 percent increased risk of stroke and heart attack.
Moderate sedentary times on the other hand, did not result in a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
The findings published in JAMA Cardiology, suggest that 10 hours is the threshold of where sedentary related health problems begin.
So as long as you keep your bedside Netflix binges below this level, you can be lazy for a decent amount of the day without destroying your health.
Citations: Only Extreme Sitting Linked To Increased Heart Disease Risk (Medical Daily)
