The term “sitting is the new smoking” has been cautioning office-workers against being sedentary in recent years, but a new study suggests that some may be swinging too far in the other direction.
Standing desks have risen in popularity, with the global market valued at USD $7.75 billion, but new research warns against relying too much on them.
The study, led by the University of Sydney and published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, studied 83, 013 adults in the United Kingdom to assess daily time spent sitting and standing. The study found that being on your feet for more than two hours a day can cause problems such as varicose veins, but does little to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease that comes with prolonged sitting.
Patricia Doyle-Baker, from the faculty of kinesiology at the University of Calgary, said, “Anybody who stands for a long period of time in a …